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by Hallie Forcinio, Contributing Editor Posted on Friday, November 03, 2006 3:10:08 PM   | Abstract: | RFID may seem like a new technology. But it has actually been used for 25 years in manufacturing, particularly the automotive industry, for asset management, and tracking parts and inventory as they move through the shop floor. |
"RFID is a sensing technology," says Alex Stuebler, business manager, Siemens Energy & Automation Inc. (Norcross, GA), which supplies readers, antennas, tags, printers, and software. The company recently introduced the Simatic RF600 family of RFID products for production, warehousing, and retail store applications, and offers RFID consulting services via its Siemens Business Solutions Group. RFID makes it possible for manufacturers to automatically sense a part or asset's proximity, and gather information about its location. Collecting this data at critical points in the plant improves visibility within the four walls, and can serve as the basis for quality assurance and product genealogy documentation. On the asset management side, RFID can help improve the maintenance and repair process and minimize equipment downtime. Because RFID collects information without human intervention, it also boosts labor productivity by automating manual data collection tasks. [Click to continue] |