Partners help GSS successfully meet the RFID tag requirements of the Ministry of Defense
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challenge:
Like many U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) suppliers, when the Government Academic Resources Organization (GSS) first heard of RFID, it also knew very little about the technology—where DoD needs to use RFID and how RFID tags will be used. What kind of impact will it have on its business. GSS has 1.2 million product lines, ranging from daily necessities to robotic equipment worth half a million dollars. In view of the diversity of the GSS product line and the huge business volume between it and DoD, it is a huge challenge to determine how to best apply smart labels to its freight links.
GSS expects that the DoD labeling requirement will initially affect 25% of its freight volume after it becomes effective. If this requirement is widely applied to the government and military departments, it is expected that the rate of this affected freight volume will increase to 80%.
For GSS, the biggest challenge is not to find effective equipment and standards, but to find clear guidance in the complex new RFID environment. Steve Sellentin, vice president of sales at GSS, said: “We must be prepared for all changes. When we first heard about the DoD plan, many things were still undecided. I don’t know if we must use RFID tags and when What specific requirements will be used, or will be formulated. I am worried that the situation will continue to change, which makes it difficult for us to formulate appropriate strategies and respond correctly when relevant requirements become effective.”
Sellentin made it clear: Since RFID is still a new thing for GSS, the company cannot risk working with partners who are just starting out in RFID integration. Sellentin said: “I’m not worried about labeling boxes containing test tubes. We can solve this problem. What I’m worried about is labeling boxes containing temperature-controlled life science chemicals. If the tag cannot be read, the box will Transfer to manual processing. Because the box cannot be guaranteed to maintain the same temperature during manual processing, the product will be destroyed.”
Since many of GSS’s products require metal temperature-controlled packaging or are composed of a large amount of liquid, a large number of tag tests, adjustments and placement attempts are required to ensure reliable tag reading. If GSS’s solution provider does not have extensive RFID experience, it will take months to complete the testing of more than one million product lines. Fortunately, Zebra Technologies and its partners have successfully helped GSS meet relevant requirements efficiently.
solution:
Sellentin needs to rely on his implementation partners to provide advice on equipment selection and system design. Sellentin’s principle is to give priority to products from leading suppliers with mature technology. After evaluating many solution providers, he finally chose epcSolutions, a Zebra-certified RFID partner. The company provides integrated support and software to connect GSS’s new RFID reader and smart label printer/encoder with its label printing and enterprise software applications. In addition, the Enterprise Information System (EIS) also participates in system integration.
“Because I believe in the people I work with, I am not worried about equipment issues. I think that after a long period of development, RFID has matured, so if we cooperate with experienced providers, everything will go smoothly. Frankly speaking, I don’t have time to test and evaluate every product and inspect new vendors who have recently started to provide RFID equipment.”
Based on the performance of the product and the support provided by Zebra, epcSolutions recommended Zebra’s printer encoder to GSS. As the first company to launch an integrated on-demand barcode and RFID printer/encoder, Zebra has provided RFID solutions for military, government, and commercial organizations. Through close cooperation with epcSolutions and GSS, Zebra understands the diversity of GSS products and its requirements for label printing, and recommends the most effective media to them.
Kevin Kail, CEO of epcSolutions, said: “Whenever we work with industry leaders, we always release the most energy. Before that, we have worked with Zebra many times and know that it can provide excellent and reliable products. Zebra’s extensive experience helped us quickly determine the best type of label consumables, which is indeed a valuable asset for this project.”
As expected, temperature control of liquid chemicals presents two major challenges. First, the chemical container is enclosed in a box wrapped with insulated metal foil (this compound is very suitable for keeping chemicals cool, but not very suitable for radio frequency identification). Metals reflect signals, while liquids absorb signals, making them the two most difficult materials to track through RFID. The working group affixed the RFID smart tag to a thin rubber sheet placed on a box wrapped with metal foil, so that it can provide enough cushioning so that the smart tag is not subject to internal interference, thus solving this problem. Second, given that the storage temperature of some products is minus 40°C, Zebra dispatched experts to find label materials and adhesives suitable for storage in severe cold environments.
epcSolutions developed a shipping label format that supports smart labels based on GSS’s existing DoD MIL standard template. It only took about a week to complete the test of the label material and placement position of the product line. The epcSolutions software can check the shipping address to receive the order. If the address is a DoD factory that requires smart label printing, the software will instruct the freight label printing system to use the Zebra R110Xi printer/encoder to generate smart labels. The staff will affix the label to the container and immediately use the handheld interrogator to check it. The RFID portal reader will recheck the RFID-tagged goods immediately before they leave the GSS distribution center.
GSS tested its equipment and consumables, and its employees took about a week to adapt to RFID label printing. The system was put into operation before its compliance deadline in January 2006. Sellentin said: “I have confidence in our equipment. My biggest worry now is that the goods may encounter unexpected things during the delivery process, so after the goods leave our factory, the labels on them will not be able to be attached. Read.”
result:
Careful partner selection and system planning have produced the desired effect: GSS has deployed a system and is fully prepared to comply with relevant requirements in the months before the deadline. Since the system can be expanded and supports open standards, as GSS’s RFID usage activities increase, the system will protect GSS’s investment. For example, the R110Xi printer/encoder supports multiple protocols and can be configured remotely, so GSS devices can be transplanted to the second-generation label technology at any time according to DoD requirements. In addition, R110Xi can also generate smart labels that can meet different customer requirements. In other words, there is no need for customers to purchase and maintain separate printers to handle different RFID protocols.
Sellentin said: “I like this way of integrating all the functions together. My warehouse staff is very satisfied with this system. For me, it is a very pleasant thing to be able to load and use the printer easily.”
So far, although GSS’s RFID label printing is an independent operation, once the application upgrade is completed, the company will eventually realize the integration of its smart label printing operation with inventory control and warehouse management systems. After that, GSS will be able to automatically generate an advance shipping notice (ASN) and meet DoD’s wide area workflow (WAWF) reporting requirements.
Sellentin said: “Everything is going well. Over time, changes in requirements, or increased freight volumes, some problems may arise. But this is not worrying because I believe that with the help of business partners, We can solve all problems.”
About Zebra Technologies
Zebra Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq stock code: ZBRA) is committed to satisfying their needs for business improvement and security applications by providing reliable and innovative on-demand printing solutions to customers in more than 100 countries or regions around the world need. More than 90% of the Fortune 500 companies use Zebra brand printers. Zebra brand thermal barcode, “smart” label and receipt printers, and plastic card printers have a wide range of application advantages, which can enhance safety, increase productivity, improve quality, reduce costs, and provide better customer service. The company has sold more than 5 million printers including RFID printers/encoders and wireless mobile solutions. It also provides related software, connection solutions and printing supplies. About Zebra’s dedicated printing solutions can be obtained from www.zebra.com.cn.
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