The Added Value of RAIN RFID From Supply Chains to Your Vehicle!
RAIN RFID, with its long read range and its ability to count items quickly, without line of sight, brings new levels of automation and interaction to supply chains of all kinds.
What’s more, a security-enhanced version of RAIN RFID, equipped with AES cryptography, helps automotive manufacturers create value in the factory and – with the help of Smart City system integrators – on the road.
From Source to Customer – RAIN RFID in the Supply Chain
In connected supply chains, each node or entity along the chain shares digital information automatically, thereby reducing the need for manual intervention while adding speed and accuracy. Real-time access to item status adds a much-needed level of transparency and creates a continuous chain that works in sync and “as one”.
Enhancing Operations with RAIN RFID
RAIN RFID gives items a digital identity and tracks their status. Operations become more efficient, because there is no need to manually count what is in a box, and no need to scan barcodes which, even with highly sophisticated and expensive camera systems, can be very difficult to read due to dirt, damage and other physical obstacles.
Planning becomes more precise, since accurate, real-time data provides a “single source of truth” as input into with manual and automated (AI) algorithms for logistics and other operational tasks. Asset utilization goes up, since it is easier to ensure that everything is in the right place at the right time. Each stage in the supply chain – manufacturing facility, warehouse, retail outlet – can provide an accurate inventory, for an overall view of current status.
Physical transactions, such as dispatch, transfer, and receipt, become more accurate too, with tallying done electronically and documentation completed without manual data entry. Increased efficiency gives a boost to sustainability, since better planning and the ability to consolidate shipments helps reduce waste. Real-time visibility and traceability – with details about where something is and where it has been – provides accurate updates to the next link in the chain and enables more accurate delivery estimates. Also, because shipments are more accurate, there is less time spent correcting errors and handling claims, or resolving issues that happened several stages upstream.
Compatible with All AutoID Technologies
In terms of compatibility, RAIN RFID is complimentary to all automatic identification technologies and supports automation activities. It provides the critically accurate data necessary to drive AI and machine learning allowing predictive analytics, demand forecasting and informed decision making. RAIN RFID also increases the value of blockchain by ensuring that accurate and timely transactions are captured, proving the chain of custody and ultimately improving supply chain transparency.
Efficiency with RAIN RFID
RAIN RFID helps increase efficiency through greater visibility, and makes it easier to meet and exceed end-customer expectations for delivery and service. With postal and delivery services, RAIN RFID increases efficiency and accuracy from the point of departure to the delivery address.
With depots and warehouses, items received in and dispatched out are tracked more precisely, with accurate counts of what is in each shipment and automatic reconciliation of shipment notices. In manufacturing and delivery, understanding locations and dwell times of containers reduces capital expenditures and increases preparedness for peak demand.
An Extra Level of Security – RAIN RFID in Your Vehicle
With the recent emphasis on increased systems security and data protection, RAIN RFID has gotten an upgrade. This security-enhanced RAIN RFID (simply referred to as “secure” RAIN RFID), now offers AES cryptography, and makes it possible to add the long-range accuracy and speed benefits of RAIN RFID to applications that need high-level security, such as vehicle identification in various traffic related situations as well as asset authentication or brand protection in automotive manufacturing.
AES Cryptography
AES cryptography is recognized in the security industry as being among the most effective ways to protect against attacks from unauthorized parties, and is widely trusted in high-security applications to protect against common attack scenarios, such as eavesdropping, emulating, and cloning. With secure RAIN RFID, each communication is based on a new computation and is therefore different every time the tag and the reader communicate.
This randomness protects the communication from deciphering or copying. Also, the secrets that enable secure communication – that is, the crypto keys – are protected in secure vaults embedded in the chip. The crypto keys never leave this secure vault, so they are protected from being “sniffed” or otherwise intercepted.
RAIN RFID Tags for Automotive Applications
Secure RAIN RFID tags, integrated into license plates or labels for windshield and vehicle handlamps, provide the trusted identification and authentication needed to grant access, confirm rights and privileges, and even make micro-payments. That means more convenient use of toll roads, better access management to restricted areas such as parking facilities, and faster service at drive-through facilities like restaurants, gas stations, and car washes – all without sacrificing security or privacy.
Law enforcement is using secure RAIN RFID to automate vehicle registration, insurance payments, and technical inspection and fleet managers are using it to know who is authorized to drive a vehicle along a route, in and out of a facility, and at what time.
Secure Authentication
In the manufacturing plant, secure RAIN RFID protects brands and authenticates assets. It confirms that high-value and/or safety-relevant components are supplied from reliable and trustworthy sources, and makes it easier to manage the many assets, such as high-value tools and re-usable/returnable crates and containers, that need to be tracked, accounted for, inventoried, and charged for use. Secure authentication confirms origin, ensures compliance with safety regulations, and fosters consumer confidence in high-value assets.
Trust in Digital Identities
Secure RAIN RFID supports many of the latest trends in automotive, from increased automation and higher efficiency, to heightened security. At the same time, secure RAIN RFID opens up new opportunities, with support for vehicle sharing, eCharging, and other applications that build on trusted digital identities.
