Does RFID tracking make the most sense for large fleets of pallets or other RTIs versus QR codes, GPS or other technologies? Willy Lutz, managing director of Logistics Arts Production and Paletten Service Lutz GmbH, offers his thoughts below:
RPN: Can you tell us about your tracking solutions, such as RFID?
We have developed RFID holders and applied for a patent. The RFID clamp program can be used for load carriers such as food trolleys, IBC containers, mesh boxes, construction fences, and any load carrier with a grid structure.
The advantages of the RFID clamp system are the tool-free, quick assembly, and precise fit in the load carrier, which protects the RFID tags from damage caused by processes in the logistics chain. Because of the quick assembly, the RFID holders are designed for large quantities of load carriers! Robots can then assemble the RFID bracket.
Let’s think about a truck transporting wire mesh boxes. The boxes are loaded close together and stand close together in the truck. RFID attachments on the load carrier’s outside wall could quickly be damaged. With us, the RFID tag is clamped inside the mesh with a hinge function. It is protected, but not on the outer wall of the box.
The RFID tag for pallets is an existing product from an RFID manufacturer. The manufacturer itself had not recognized the possibility of using pallets. We supported this in discussions and worked with the manufacturer’s development department to create the technical requirements for the RFID tag to work on pallets. Here, our thoughts went towards the reading distance/description distance of the RFID tag so that the RFID scanner can recognize/read the RFID tag over several meters. Also important is the correct positioning of the tag on the pallet so that the RFID is not destroyed by forklifts.
RPN: Why are you promoting your RFID tracking solution, given the variety of solutions available, ranging from QR code to GPS to cellular to BLE and barcode? What are the advantages?
Barcode and QR codes can be read purely on sight, so they often require personnel. This means personnel costs. Here, we see clear advantages with RFID, i.e., with automation in the logistics chain. Are we thinking about the future and the availability of staff?
Furthermore, the QR code can be easily damaged, making the codes illegible due to handling in the logistics process. Here, we are thinking of forklift tines that drive onto the block of pallets or of contamination on the codes, which leads to illegibility when loading pallets onto the truck. There are usually three pallets long on the truck, and the pallets are often bumped against each other in loading. Weather influences may also lead to illegibility; most codes are printed on paper or pallet blocks with paint, i.e., rather vulnerable, unstable materials.
Active GPS transmission makes sense for valuable products transported by pallets. Systems can be inserted into the cardboard boxes themselves—one GPS tracker per pallet or truckload may be sufficient. There are problems with GPS, however. They are costly and require an onboard power source, which is unsuitable for large asset fleets such as Euro pallets. Also, weather influences can compromise performance. Temperature and moisture issues can lead to technical problems if exposed for too long. We see RFID as the clear leader regarding large quantities of pallets or other RTI.
RPN: What are some of the challenges of RFID tracking for RTIs?
Metal grids can interfere with the RFID signal, similar to wet boards or blocks on a wooden pallet. We can provide a reading distance of up to 5 meters or longer for the grid box/IBC container. The distance can also be reduced should the customer wish. If the range is too high, unwanted scanning of other nearby RFID tags can also occur Tests at a large German automobile manufacturer have shown that the boxes were recorded nationwide via RFID gates.
RFID gates require a distance of 2 meters. Furthermore, the RFID tags are designed according to the latest requirements of the VDA association (https://www.vda.de/de).
RPN: How can RFID be used to enhance automated sorting and repair of pallets?
RFID can enhance automated sorting and repair. When scanned, the original blueprint of the pallet will be accessed from the cloud. It would include the construction type, component sizes and placement details, and other information, such as who owns the pallet. An automated sorting system involving vision and AI technologies would scan the pallet and identify damage. This information would be uploaded into the cloud to provide a performance history. Pallets would then be segregated according to pallet type and condition. For damaged pallets entering the automated repair line, damage information from the cloud is accessed regarding what repairs must be undertaken and the particular material needed to bring the pallet back to conformity.
RFID readers can also verify that pallets are ISPM 15 compliant. A reader at the heat treatment chamber door could record the pallets leaving after treatment.
RPN: Do you provide an entire solution? What about data security?
Our network offers the entire RFID structure. RFID tag/antenna production-RFID scanner-RFID mobile phone scanner-handling apps for the mobile phone-software platform for data security/data storage/data management, based on AI and the digital twin.
Each user controls their own data without other platform participants being able to view it. This platform is the notary of the data (the official and trusted record-keeper or verifier of the data), so to speak.
Related Articles
Logistics Arts Production: Turn off the Wooden Path
RFusionID®, Merging RFID Technology with Polymer Fusion
LOOP construction pallets to be RFID tagged
McDonald’s France incorporates RFID technology for new reusable containers
Rick LeBlanc, EMBA, is the founder and editor of Reusable Packaging News (subscribe to the free newsletter) and editor of Western Pallet Magazine. A supply chain journalist with more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in pallets, reusable packaging, material handling and related operations. Rick is co-author of Pallets: A North American Perspective and Pallets & Progress: A Collected History of Pallets and Palletized Handling 1922–1945. He is also an advisory board member of the Virginia Tech Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Read Rick’s full bio.
