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American Maruhach Ceramics (MCA) is using an RFID system to track the location of 50,000 pallets loaded with products, reducing inventory count time from 190 work hours to 4 work hours. The system uses TracerPlus software provided by Portable Solutions (PTS), passive UHF RFID tags provided by Alien, handheld RFID readers and print encoders provided by Zebra to ensure that workers know the location of products. The system was put into use in February 2015.
MCA produces 18,000 different sizes and styles of tiles, which are generally used for roofing. MCA’s customers are located all over the world, mainly in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Hawaii and Guam. Up to 100,000 tiles per order, the product is mainly produced in its own kilns in California and then loaded on pallets for shipment.
The cost of switching furnaces on and off is quite high, so furnaces are usually running 24 hours a day. When existing orders are completed, employees produce future orders and store those orders in the yard. In fact, tiles can be stored for over ten years without damage, while pallets cannot be exposed to inclement weather.
As a result, the eight-acre yard is filled with a variety of products, and employees need to do frequent inventory counts. In the past, workers recorded information by looking at each tray visually and using pen and paper, or by scanning a QR code on the tray. MCA CEO Linda Hanson said scanner replacements and software upgrades were no longer possible because the company used an outdated QR code system. The QR code solution also has many drawbacks, and the scanning speed is very slow. QR code labels are hard to find and easily worn off.
Hanson said she looked into using RFID to solve inventory problems, but ultimately found the technology too expensive. But that all changed when she discovered a PTS system that could scan with a mobile handheld reader and TracerPlus data management software. The installation of the system took only 2 months.
PTS CEO Brad Horn said PTS provided TracerPlus software and developed applications based on MCA’s data needs. TracerPlus also offers self-adhesive labels with Alien ALN-9629 Square inlays (built-in Higgs 3 chip).
Workers need to use a Zebra printer to print and encode each RFID tag and attach it to the pallet. Then, employees need to use TracerPlus software running on a Zebra MC9190-Z reader to tie the tag ID number to product-related information (product code, quantity, date of manufacture, and storage location).
Hanson said the company spent months marking the pallets. When the tiles on the pallet are placed on each pallet, each new pallet needs to attach a new RFID tag and update the old pallet label information.
TracerPlus software running on the handheld reader stores location data and additional data collected during inventory counts. This data can be imported into existing inventory management software on the company’s ERP system.
Workers can use the TracerPlus software data to find the location of a specific pallet. Staff can also use software to see how many products are loaded on each pallet.
Hanson said that while using the QR code system, the company used to do monthly inventory counts, but now it is weekly or even daily. Staff walked around the yard with handheld readers, stopping in front of each pallet to read the tags. Since the RFID system stores the number of tiles, employees do not need to manually enter the number of tiles.
“PTS has developed software tools that are compatible with a broad portfolio of products,” said Carrie Angelico, senior manager at Zebra. The industrial-grade reader has a linear antenna and has a longer read range that can meet the needs of MCA storage yards, she said. Usage requirements. Angelico explained that MCA uses a batch mode of readers that can upload data within range of a WiFi network.
In the future, the company will make the reading of RFID tags more automated, Hanson said. The company plans to install stationary readers in yards, manufacturing areas, mount readers on forklifts or use drones to use readers for tag reading. “The current budget doesn’t support this,” she noted. “Scalability is a big reason I like the TracerPlus technology. In the future, companies can expand the system with other hardware.”
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