Volkswagen Group Uruguay importer deploys RFID technology to improve efficiency
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For the past four years, Julio Cesar Lestido SA, the official car and truck importer of Volkswagen Group in Uruguay, has been using passive UHF.RFIDLabels to track metal tools for car repairs. The company said that they are making plans to use this technology to record the history of each vehicle (import time, sales information, and maintenance history).
Julio Cesar Lestido mainly provides repair and maintenance services for Uruguayan Volkswagen and Audi owners, and has always used the RFID solution provided by Identis to manage repair tools. The company claims that this solution reduces the waste caused by tool loss and also improves tool management efficiency.
Employees of Julio Cesar Lestido use proprietary tools to repair Volkswagen and Audi cars. These tools are expensive and there are few alternatives. Enrique D’Amato, CEO of Identis, said that if the staff cannot find the tools they need in time, the repair process will be delayed.
Workers need to take tools such as wrenches and drills from the storage area, but the company has no way of knowing who borrowed the tools. Identis said that knowing that the user of the tool can ensure that the tool is not lost and urge employees to return it in time.
Prior to this, Julio Cesar Lestido had been using passive fixed RFID tags, but the results were not satisfactory. Tools are often used in high temperature and strong impact environments, so tags need to be built into the tools. However, these tags cannot work in a metal environment. In addition, the company does not want the reader antenna to be exposed. Therefore, this is the biggest challenge for Identis.
In this regard, Identis tried to use a variety of passive UHF RFID tags, and finally selected the Omni-ID Prox CS7310 customized version of Convergence’s tags. The label size of the standard version is 3.3cm*1cm*0.4cm, while the custom version label is smaller, measuring only 2cm long and 0.8cm wide. Next, Identis drilled holes in the metal tool and inserted the label into it. In this way, it perfectly meets the requirements of the enterprise. Each tag has a built-in unique ID number, which can be linked to the data stored by the Identis” smart tool tracking software.
In addition, Identis installed a CSL CS-461 reader and antenna behind the entrance wall of the storage room. At the same time, the company also distributed badges with built-in CSL Omni-ID Prox tags to the staff. The employee’s badge RFID number and personal authentication information are stored in the software.
When an employee approaches the tool storage area, the reader will read the badge ID number and automatically open the door. When the employee leaves the room, the reader will read the badge ID number and tool tag again and create a record. If the staff leaves without permission, the STTS software will send an email to Julio Cesar Lestido’s management staff.
The software also provides analytical data. D’Amato explained that this way the company can know when employees use a particular tool. He said: “The biggest benefit of this system is that it saves the cost of lost tools and improves operational efficiency.”
Julio Cesar Lestido has more than 500 tools in total. At the current position, the company has purchased 1,000 tags.
D’Amato said that in the next phase, the company will insert the label into the plastic bracket at the bottom of the windshield. Employees can use handheld readers to read the ID of each tag and obtain vehicle information. Identis plans to be installed at the entrance of Julio Cesar Lestido mass service and sales storeReader.
After the vehicle is sold to the consumer, the employee will use the CSL 101 handheld reader to read the tag and synchronize the buyer’s information to the software. When the vehicle is repaired or maintained, employees will also upload this information to the software. In this way, the company can better track the car maintenance cycle to better serve consumers. In addition, Julio Cesar Lestido did not comment on this system.
D’Amato said that this vehicle solution will be put into use in 2015.
(Exclusive manuscript of rfid world network, please indicate the source author for reprinting!)
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