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Restaurants and bars need to monitor the remaining amount of beer at all times to ensure timely supply. Most retailers sell 2-3 beers and have high requirements for replenishment speed.
Through the iKeg mobile app, users can view and manage beer inventory levels at any time.
In order to ensure the timely supply of beer and prevent out-of-stock phenomenon, SteadyServ has developed an automatic beer supply solution called iKeg. The solution includes passive high-frequency RFID tags, RFID readers, weight sensors, and corresponding application software, which is mainly used to track information such as the type of beer and the remaining amount. Currently, several beer distributors and retailers including Monarch Beverage, Premium Beverage Supply distributor, Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant and Champions Sports bar are testing the RFID beer supply solution.
SteadyServ is a brewing and technology company in Carmel, California. The company has been looking for a solution to ensure that retailers are supplied with beer in a timely manner.
Passive high frequency 13.56MHz Identive RFID tags in iKeg beer automatic serving solution adoptNXP chip, packaged by RR Donnelly. The RFID tag is ISO 15693 compliant and is affixed to the handle of the wine barrel. In addition, the solution includes a “sensor ring” with an embedded RFID reader and weight sensor on which the weight of the keg can be monitored. The solution also includes mobile terminal applications developed for Android or Apple iOS, allowing customers to check beer inventory from a smartphone or tablet. SteadySer installs the SteadyServ gateway for retailers and provides the hardware product “Sensing Ring.”
When the bar or restaurant receives the order, it receives an RFID tag with the printed order (as shown in the figure below). Each label has a unique ID code to uniquely identify the beer keg.
iKeg RFID Tag
When the goods arrive, the driver is responsible forRFIDLabels are affixed to wine barrels. The “sensor ring” is then placed close to the tag, and its embedded RFID reader reads the tag’s ID code, and forwards the data to the SteadyServ gateway via the wireless 802.15.4 network, and then forwards it via Wi-Fi or cellular connection to the SteadyServ backend server. The server software associates the keg’s ID code with the type of beer and the information transmitted by the “sensor ring”. The weight sensor in the “Sensing Ring” forwards the weight information it measures to the gateway. The application software calculates the amount of beer remaining in the barrel based on the collected data, as well as the current type of beer, which beer and when it needs to be replenished. Among them, the sensitivity of the weight sensor can be accurate to a few pints.
Not only does the solution show how many glasses of beer are left, it also alerts retailers when it’s time to restock. SteadyServ software not only provides timely alerts to retailers, but also automatically generates orders to suppliers.
Each supplier and brewery has access to the back-end software system, through which retailers are effectively managed to ensure the accuracy of shipments. “Sensing rings” are typically rented by retailers or purchased outright.
“Sensing ring” with embedded RFID reader and weight sensor
The mobile terminal application also provides data analysis functions for retailers, such as the time it takes for the beer to sell out. The data tracked by the system also includes the shelf life of the beer. The plan charges a service fee of $3.5-4 per barrel of beer. If you want to get more information, such as monthly statistics and reports, you need to charge another $25-50. The “Sensing Ring” battery has a lifespan of up to 3 years and is replaceable. If the data read by the sensor remains static, the “Sensing Ring” will automatically go to sleep.
The solution will increase the profit of beer sales in a bar or restaurant. After the test phase, the automatic beer serving solution based on high-frequency RFID technology will be launched on the market in the first quarter of 2014.
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