RFID to transform manufacturing processes, says Omron
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RFID (radio frequency identification technology) is set to take off in a big way, according to automation, sensors and controls company Omron. The firm says manufacturers are realising that its easy-read, unique tagging not only makes materials and product tracing and tracking easier than barcoding alternatives, but that there is enormous potential for process improvement.
Paul Downey of Omron’s, says systems it showed at the recent Packex exhibition, which were able to scan whole pallets of different product remotely in less than a second, struck a chord for firms wanting 100% instantaneous accuracy for feedback and backflushing as well as for onward scheduling, logistics and verification.
“It’s not just the speed,” he says, “everything is uniquely tagged.” And he says manufacturers can take advantage of this fact to improve materials management, inventory accuracy, manufacturing process flexibility, and even to capitalise on the coming breed of intelligent shopfloor machines, able to run auto-diagnostics and signal capacity for appropriate operations as events dictate.
“They’ll save a huge amount of rework,” he says, giving as an example, contract packing and labelling of multiple products into multiple packaging and label types.
l Omron recently launched its Open Network Controller, a real time intelligent shopfloor monitoring and control device able to run virtually any factory network and control type, and to act as a web server for real time data provision wherever it’s needed.
