Singapore bus system operator SMRT adopts RFID system to simplify spare inventory
chrispeng Singapore’s major bus system operator SMRT plans to use RFID systems to track more than 80,000 vehicle maintenance tools and parts in three warehouses. SMRT’s trains, light rail cars, buses and taxis carry approximately 2 million passengers every day. In order to ensure the safety and reliability of the public transportation system and facilitate vehicle maintenance, the company has a huge stock of spare parts.
In the next year or so, SMRT plans to implement an RFID inventory management system in warehouses in Ang Mo Kio, Woodlands and Kranji. The company hopes to paste passive, UHF EPC Gen 2 RFID tags on 80,000 parts.
According to SMRT, the automated system provides more accurate data and reports, allowing workers to receive items that need repairs and maintenance more quickly, speeding up inventory parts inventory, and improving inventory management. Since the RFID system can capture and record the movement of each item, the staff can also identify and take out items 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without compromising safety.
According to Jason Chin, director of SMRT’s information technology, RFID technology was chosen because of its fast information reading speed, tag data writing function, longer reading distance and tag reusability. These performances make RFID technology better than barcodes. Attractive.
As the cost of RFID gradually becomes acceptable, SMRT first carried out rigorous research on this technology and discussed with RFID vendors, including TCM RFID, to better understand existing solutions. SMRT also conducts feasibility studies to determine the time required for traditional warehouse operations to implement RFID systems.
“The next step is the program design specification and design program application. Interested parties take this opportunity to propose a program that meets our needs. TCM RFID has won this project, and they have a good RFID program implementation record. We have seen their software They also tested their hardware during a live demonstration,” Chin said.
According to Chin, TCM RFID had to overcome some unique problems of this project, including the huge amount of inventory, the minimum labor cost to achieve 24/7 operations, the high level of security requirements, and the integration of the company’s existing ERP system. Moreover, the reader must not be affected by the metal frame in the building, and the system has to deal with items of different sizes during the labeling process.
The RFID warehouse management system can effectively track and manage equipment and components, such as spare engines and other maintenance equipment for SMRT vehicles. “The unique number of the RFID tag allows us to track the real-time movement of every piece of equipment in the warehouse,” he said. “The warehouse has a 24/7 self-service retrieval system where technicians can correctly identify and retrieve spare parts, making the repair and maintenance cycle faster. Inventory counting is more effective.
Once the three warehouses have completed the implementation of the RFID system, the entire project will use 6 handheld RFID readers, 3 desktop touch screens and 6 fixed readers to work with EAS. The reader transmits the tag information to the back-end SAP and RFID system in real time via the wireless local area network.
This system can bring huge benefits to SMRT. Chin said, first of all, self-service reduces warehouse labor costs, and the system can also remind users to take away stored items-previously relying on manual execution-inventory counting time is also reduced, which promotes productivity The improvement.
Second, the RFID system can track the delivery time of the item to ensure that the expired item is moved. “This ensures the safety of components and reduces the possibility of traffic network collapse,” Chin said.
The third point is that the system realizes the automation and simplification of manual processes, and realizes electronic real-time updating of various records, which improves inventory accuracy. Finally, the closed-loop television at the exit of the warehouse ensures that the items follow the correct removal process.
The EAS system can detect the movement of unauthorized RFID-labeled items. If the user does not follow the correct process to take out the parts from the warehouse, the system will issue an alarm to notify the relevant staff.
Currently, SMAT is installing this system in its first warehouse and is expected to be completed in August 2009. The second warehouse is scheduled to be completed in January 2010, and the last one will be completed in April 2010.
