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Tips and Hints: How Fast Becomes Faster

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Today’s supply chains are fast, but in a world where you can have designer shoes delivered by a flying drone in less than 30 minutes, the question remains: How much faster can the modern workflow get? Between new delivery services, changing social platforms, and revolutionary technology, the on-demand market becomes increasingly more demanding as customers expect faster service.

Serving a wide range of clients across the U.S., Avalon Integration is well aware of the increasing demands made on today’s warehouses. Integrating solutions in businesses both big and small, we can share tips and hints on how warehouses across the globe are turning fast into faster.

Peel and Present Labels Faster

Every Change Counts

Since there are several shapes and sizes to today’s warehouses, it’s only natural that several optimizing strategies have gained popularity worldwide. A few common strategies include:

  • Moving closer to customers – While costly and generally reserved for larger enterprises, moving warehouses and distribution centers closer to customers drastically reduce shipping times, giving companies a higher competitive edge. Furthermore, changes within the U.S. economy (import tariffs, lower tax rates, etc.) have also driven companies to consider new warehouse locations, possibly contributing to the 3372 new private warehouses built within the last decade alone.
  • Investing in automation – Reducing inaccurate order processing from picking to shipping, automated workflows can save companies millions of dollars from return fees, lost assets, and human error. Automation leader, Zebra Technologies reports that 61% of warehouses are already equipping workforces with automated processes designed to maximize accuracy and productivity without overworking employees. Moreover, less worker stress leads to lower turnover rates, saving operations from costly downtime and employee burnout.
  • Expanding inventory visibility – Integrating small changes, such as environment-resistant labels or large-scale RFID solutions, allows workers to quickly locate assets. This ultimately decreases wait times while capturing actionable data. From long-range readers to the latest RFID on-metal solutions, Avalon partners with Zebra to provide an end-to-end visibility solution that elevates productivity.Peel Labels Faster and Present Them
  • Maximizing worker mobility – Faster supply chains mean your workers are moving faster throughout the warehouse. Consequently, crucial warehouse technology much is ergonomic and versatile enough to preserve mobility. Devices such as Zebra’s MC9300 or TC77 are perfect examples of how multiple functions can be combined into one ergonomic device, helping workers complete different tasks without hauling several devices with them.
  • Simplifying “easy” operations – Lastly, in a supply chain, every little task counts; therefore, efficiency should never be spared. In other words, just because something works doesn’t mean it can’t be better. For example, small tasks such as label application can be optimized to cut time spent labeling. Want a closer look? Check out the video below:

Innovation always continues to move forward. While we may not be able to build a brand-new warehouse, Avalon Integration can build optimization strategies centered on your workflow challenges. Stay ahead of the on-demand market when you start your optimization solution with the leaders in efficient innovation.

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RFID or Bluetooth? Now with PTS, Avalon does Both.

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There are several locationing systems available on the market today. Depending on your application requirements, certain solutions work better than others. As leaders in warehouse innovation, Avalon Integration provides real-time visibility solutions that match an array of workforce specifications. With efficiency in mind, we’re proud to present the leading advancements in locationing technology – RFID and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).  

Partnering with Portable Technology Solutions, we construct new tracking systems that fit both workplace and budget requirements without sacrificing functionality. Using Zebra certified tags and hardware, our warehousing experts are ready to answer all your locationing questions.

Understanding the Difference from Tag to Tag

While similar in function, passive RFID and BLE tags bring different sets of benefits to your inventory management system. Before designing your locationing strategy, it is crucial to understand the difference between both.

MC3390R Tag Lifecycle

MC3390R Scanning RFID

Tag Lifecycle with RFID and Bluetooth

  • Because RFID tags have become more cost-effective, they are ideal for large quantities of diverse inventory since they are disposable. However, while tags are relatively inexpensive, RFID readers cost more to install.
  • Although BLE tags are more expensive compared to RFID, Bluetooth technology is still a cost-effective solution when it comes to scaling your new management system. Integrate your solution at your own pace, growing coverage as needed.
MC3390R IT Involvement

MC3390R Scanning with IT Involvement

IT Involvement

  • In addition to tags, RFID locationing systems will require readers and scanners. Therefore, greater IT participation is expected. Nevertheless, Zebra’s intuitive technology and Avalon’s support team create a seamless implementation process that eliminates stress and long wait-times.
  • Depending on the size of your tracking space, BLE deployment requires little to no IT integration. Plus, since Bluetooth technology has been installed in over 10 billion devices worldwide, your workforce may likely already be familiar with your new system.
MC3330R Bluetooth Power and Connectivity

MC3330R Uses Bluetooth for Power and Connectivity

Power and Connectivity

  • Sustained by WiFi networking, RFID systems run as long as you’re connected. With Zebra’s long-range connectivity and WorryFree WiFi, transmissions remain uninterrupted and secure. Furthermore, reduce end-of-life issues since tags do not need batteries to function.
  • Operating within a multi-channel spectrum, BLE systems can run despite connectivity issues as long as there is a two-way connection between tags and beacons.

See the RFID and Bluetooth Differences First-Hand

Helping you navigate the locationing landscape, Avalon Integration now works with Portable Technology Solution’s ClearStream service. Using the best benefits of both RFID and BLE, we create the visibility solutions your business needs. For more information, contact Avalon Integration for an in-depth assessment of your current management strategy.

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Happily Ever Afters: How to Safeguard Inventory from Picking to Shipping

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From its first moments at the receiving dock to its final day in a delivery truck traveling across the country, your inventory faces several potential dangers that may ultimately impact your business. For example, product shrinkage cost the retail industry $46.8 billion in 2018 alone as unmonitored stock became prey to administrative errors, employee theft, and shoplifting.

As technology continues to advance, protecting inventory visibility has become increasingly difficult, especially when it comes to large quantities of unmanaged stock. To counter the rising costs of lost/damaged/stolen inventory, Avalon Integration explores new locationing solutions with Zebra’s RFID technology, developing innovative solutions that minimize misplaced profits with enhanced visibility managed by the next-generation of data capture technology.

Woman Scanning Warehouse Inventory with MC3390R

Woman Scanning Warehouse Inventory with MC3390R

Change Your Inventory’s Fate

Providing real-time visibility in all your tagged assets, RFID technology arms your team with actionable intelligence to simplify operations, increasing worker accountability, stock availability, and efficient productivity from beginning to end.

  • Design RFID labels to fit unique application requirements using pretested materials to ensure consistent quality and long-lasting performance. 
  • Equip incoming inventory with easy-to-apply adhesive tags capable of storing 100 times more data than conventional SKU-labels. 
  • Trust your RFID’s extended functionality through the harshest environments and surfaces as inlays follow stringent testing and ISO 9001 compliance for greater successful encoding. 
  • Capture RFID tags up to 60ft/18.2m with Zebra’s long-range handheld MC3390R RFID reader to increase reader accuracy by 40% or…   
  • Streamline complete visibility through Zebra’s ATR7000 RTLS reader and track on-the-move assets throughout the warehouse, including employees. 
  • Prevent administrative and counting errors with RFID technology compatible with your Android devices, reducing surprise stock shortages. 
  • Re-route shipments to ensure timely deliveries using wide-range tags and readers.
  • Easily deactivate or remove RFID tags as needed without injuring inventory to guarantee customer privacy.

Ready to ship in less than 24 hours, RFID labels further decrease replenishment wait-times since labels are sourced from one out of the four labeling-converting facilities located across the nation.

Scanning with RFD8500 in a Retail Store Safeguard Inventory

Scanning with RFD8500 in a Retail Store Safeguard Inventory

Avalon Integration Is Here to Help with Your Inventory

Catching your inventory’s complete story is one of the many steps Avalon Integration takes in innovating warehousing operations. Meet a complete line of RFID devices when you contact us for a unique visibility solution that leverages the best locationing technology to your benefit, giving your stock and your budget a much happier ending.

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What to Look for in an RFID Reader

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Like every technology solution, you have many choices for hardware. With radio frequency identification (RFID), you’ll need a printer that’s specifically engineered to imprint data on RFID tags, as well as an RFID reader to capture the data (similar to a barcode scanner that reads a barcode label). To zero in on the right choice for you, Avalon Integration wants you to know what to look for in an RFID printer and reader. In our last article, we explained the difference between active and passive RFID tags. Once you’ve made the choice of tags, you need to decide on the RFID printer and reader.

Choose an RFID Printer

ZT410 RFID Printer printing a barcode in a Warehouse

Are you producing a high volume of RFID tags on a daily basis? If so, you need a printer that doesn’t slow you down. Make sure the print speed meets your needs. 

Look for an RFID printer that is compatible with the type of RFID tags you’re producing, like UHF EPC Gen2 or Silverline. Silverline labels are engineered for use on metal surfaces and liquid-filled containers, two materials that can be challenging for RFID, so if you’re labeling these types of products, you must choose an RFID printer that can produce these labels, like the Zebra ZT410 RFID printer customized for Silverline. If mobility is key to working efficiently, you also have the option of a mobile RFID printer. Zebra has developed the ZQ520 RFID printer, a rugged yet compact mobile printer with a military-grade design. With UHF RFID printing and encoding, the ZQ520 can produce RFID labels on-demand, anywhere—ideal for labeling products, cases, and pallets on the go.

Get the right RFID Reader

Worker Scanning Warehouse Barcode Label using an RFID Reader

The RFID reader tunes into the radio frequency—low frequency, high frequency, and ultra-high frequency (UHF)—and grabs the data encoded on an RFID tag within its read zone. RFID readers are available in handheld and fixed styles. A handheld reader allows for mobility, so it’s good for anything from cycle counts to shipping and receiving. Another option is an RFID sled,  which attaches to a mobile device and adds the RFID reader function, an economical way to incorporate RFID for tasks like inventory. A fixed reader is mounted to a wall, pole, or other surfaces. It reads RFID tags that pass within its range. Fixed readers are commonly used in environments that track high volumes of RFID tags, such as warehouses, distribution centers, and yards.

Pick the right RFID Partner

Warehouse Worker using an RFID Reader to Scan a Box Label on a Conveyor Belt

Avalon Integration can guide you to the total RFID solution that fits your business processes and applications. You can count on our experienced, knowledgeable professionals to understand the way you work and identify the factors that lead to making the best choices. Contact us to get more performance and ROI from your RFID technology.

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Passive or active RFID: Which tagging do you need?

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Radiofrequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic technology to transmit information from an encoded tag to an antenna and then an RFID reader. With RFID, you don’t need a line of sight to read a barcode, so this technology presents a valuable asset tracking solution. But once you choose this automated data collection method, you need to decide between the options of passive and active RFID tags. Which tagging do you need? Here’s some insight to help you pick the right RFID tags for your applications.

RFID Tag Differences

Active and Passive Tag Differences

Active RFID tags have an internal battery that “pushes” the signal to an antenna within its read zone.

Passive RFID tags have no battery or internal power source. They are activated by the electromagnetic energy that is transmitted from a reader to an antenna, which signals the passive tag.

Here are the factors you should consider when deciding between passive or active.

Radiofrequency and the read zone

RFID - Radio Frequency and Read Zone

Active tags transmit across a longer read range than a passive tag, which is designed for short-range reading. An active tag could be read from hundreds of feet away, while a passive tag might only send a signal across a distance of 20 to 30 feet.

The frequency band contributes to the read range, with ultra-high-frequency (UHF) providing the longest distance. A lower frequency—defined as low frequency (LF) and high frequency (HF), in comparison—transmits more slowly but is also less susceptible to radio wave interference, which can be caused by metals and liquids.

Lifespan

RFID - Lifespan

The battery embedded in an active tag has a lifespan. Depending on how often the tag transmits data, the battery can last five to ten years. Passive tags have no battery, so there is no such shelf life to the tag.

Cost

Active RFID tags are more expensive than passive tags, because of the battery inactive tags.

Uses

RFID - Uses

Passive tags are commonly used for tracking livestock, materials, and products along with a supply chain. Inbound and outbound shipments can use passive RFID because of the short-range requirement for reading the barcodes.

Active tags are a good choice for access control, equipment monitoring (e.g., status), and logistics. The longer read range is also a preferable option for hospitals and industries that need to track costly equipment throughout the facility.

To make sure you’re getting the best value from your thermal printing supplies, schedule a free assessment with Avalon Integration. We can determine opportunities for improved productivity, efficiency, and cost savings.

Avalon Integration has been working with RFID technology for many years and across a wide range of industries and use cases. As a Zebra partner, Avalon Integration has a powerful resource for the most innovative RFID technology. Talk to us to determine the right RFID solution for your needs.

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