Tracking Meat Containers in Real Time with RFID
Migros was founded in 1925 and is one of the largest retail companies in Switzerland. The company is represented in all cantons, in Liechtenstein and in several French departments. Migros' headquarters are located in Zurich. Central services such as IT, SAP systems and the central container pool are controlled from there.
Migros has ten cooperatives throughout the Swiss cantons.
On average, the cooperatives have a daily circulation capacity of around nine million containers, which circulate between the various locations such as producers, suppliers, and markets.
Process Requirements
Around 400 pallets of meat containers circulate daily between the Migros Ostschweiz cooperative's production facility and its over 100 supermarkets.
The aim was to ensure that the containers could be identified without gaps in production and logistical processes.
Solution
The decision was made in favor of a combination of RFID and barcode technology, which enables optimization in the processes of meat production logistics. An important prerequisite for this project was the development of a central administration system for the registration of containers.
Therefore, Migros Ostschweiz opted for the EPCIS system, which was initially tested in a pilot project from February 2013 to February 2014. A further requirement for consistent identification is process standardization, which was implemented with the establishment of a new competence team at the Migros headquarters in Zurich.
Advantages
- With the implementation of the sub-projects, Migros Ostschweiz will be able to track goods continuously. It has already been incorporated into its own meat production and logistics, whose consignments can be transferred to the SAP system using transponders from production onwards.
- With RFID-supported goods monitoring, Migros Ostschweiz also avoids delivery deficiencies as well as incorrect and wrong deliveries, which is particularly important for the fresh meat product.
- Migros Ostschweiz even avoids the dangers of wrong deliveries in several ways: not only do the individual containers pass through about 10 of the total of 40 RFID identification points before they are loaded, but the trucks themselves are also equipped with transponders and are "recognized" by the loading gates. If a truck were to be loaded with the wrong goods, this would also be indicated in the system and the error could be corrected in time.
Hardware & Software
- Turck Vilant Systems: RFID Gate Solution
Technology Partner
Outlook
- Migros Ostschweiz has been working on RFID as a solution for the consistent identification of its transport containers since 2009. Further projects in this field are being discussed continuously.
Learn More
Questions? Get in contact with the editorial team!
Technologies
Application Fields
