Efficient and Transparent Goods Flows With Pallet Power
Information From the ERP System in Real Time
A correct purchasing and inventory control is ensured.
The processes in the goods center were optimized with RFID communication. The read/write heads (bottom left) transfer material data via UHF RFID to the transport pallets.
Data transfer via UHF RFID
The Six ‘Rs’ of Logistics
In material management, Chinese companies and service providers also have to be measured by the “six Rs” of logistics: the right product, quality, amount, place, time and cost. However, the trend in this sector towards greater automation and increasing logistics performance only started around ten years ago. One reason for this delayed development could be the handling of hazardous substances and the special safety requirements and technology associated with it.
An increasing number of manufacturers, however, are catching up worldwide in order to transfer the already high degree of automation in the chemical industry likewise onto logistics tasks. This is demonstrated by one of the largest energy and chemicals companies in China.
Together with Turck and system integrators New Trend International Logistics Technology, the company installed RFID technology in a digital goods distribution center situated in the southwest of the industrial metropole of Guangzhou. The contactless detection of incoming and outgoing goods now provides those involved with considerably greater transparency of stock levels.
Inventory Control in Focus
The operator of petrochemical plants previously used here a combination of standardized manual steps and semiautomated computer management in the warehouse.
This neither produced the required logistics efficiency nor minimized error quotas. An excessively large number of work steps were required just to place or find material or organize the stock levels for slightly varying types of goods. In view of the increased demand for the quality of logistics services, it was particularly necessary to ensure correct purchasing and inventory controls.
More Real-Time ERP Information with UHF RFID
When did material reach or leave the warehouse and how much? What items were involved? Where are the products stored? The ERP system has to make this information visible in real time and provide it on demand on the transported material. The Chinese system integrator therefore opted for data transmission via UHF RFID.
In brief: read/write heads use a high frequency signal to write or read a specific amount of information to or from passive RFID tags and to transfer it to the IT network via an interface. Thanks to the UHF technology the exchange is carried out between the reader and the tag over several meters. Information is also captured when objects pass at high speed.