RFID Makes Internet of Things(IoT) come to Life
The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly changing the way we interact with the world. But for it to work effectively it requires efficient interoperability and communication with a variety of different technologies. One of these is Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).
Manufacturing, critical infrastructure and health-care businesses have fast-tracked their use of Internet of Things(IoT) devices, and this trend will continue in the coming years.
Global challenges that businesses experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic left many jostling to connect their workforce remotely to ensure operations continued as companies were required to reduce capacity or close. Many weaknesses in supply chains were uncovered and businesses have been forced to fast-track their adoption of technology or risk falling further behind or even shutting down.
To help address these challenges, businesses, particularly in manufacturing, critical infrastructure and healthcare, have fast-tracked their use of IoT devices, and these trends will continue throughout 2021 and beyond.
What is the Internet of Things(IoT)
“The Internet of things (IoT) describes the network of physical objects—“things”—that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the Internet.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_things
Companies that require a high – volume of linen and garments have many activities that are a manual process.
This means that sometimes, especially when dealing with large quantities of items being processed and cleaned, it could be difficult to keep track of everything.
When counting every single garment or item, businesses do not know for sure how much of their stock have been returned.
Your business knows how many have been shipped out, but there’s clearly a difference between those two numbers.
(IoT) RFID to the Rescue
Inteltag offers a total solution that includes software and hardware. In simple terms, we offer an in-house built software and state – of – the – art hardware which connects all devices, the internet and technology effectively.
Businesses are now using Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tagging to better deal with its inventory.
Implementation of IoT technology to scan and manage every item is helped along by our own software to store and manage data from hundreds of items at a time. This can be described as an effective cost saving benefit as it eliminates manual and laborious tasks including theft.
RFID chips are embedded into linen, inventory, uniforms, bedsheets, tablecloths, and clothing in a way that’s not noticeable or uncomfortable for the user. The tags are sewn into the seams, so you don’t really notice them.
Along with sewing chips into garments, companies then install scanners at key location – designed similarly to airport scanners – into its factories, and use these to read information off the RFID chips as they enter and leave the premises.
Connecting the simplest of items – a sheet – to an internet-connected network has enabled businesses to gain a much better insight into the status of linen and workwear in the cycle it goes through every single day.
Enabling IoT solutions
Inteltag’s total infrastructure lays the foundation for IoT solutions development, extending the Internet’s reach from the cloud, through to connectivity devices, and all the way to physical items. Our customers use our platform’s world-class products, capabilities, and technology to deliver whole products that address business needs. Wirelessly connect your everyday items to identify, locate, and protect them. And deliver data about those items to applications like inventory management and linen management, which in turn provides important reports like HACCP which is critical for businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic
Improve Productivity and Efficiency
Operations and supply chains were brought to a standstill when the pandemic hit. Companies that were already considering solutions that would help them reduce cost and enhance operations for better efficiency are now pushing forward on their digital transformation to help them make up for lost productivity. They’re also looking for solutions which helps ensure that they’re able to continue operations should there be other situations that would require them to cease operations.
A variety of IoT strategies are being implemented in operations that can support automation, or for remote working employees to operate them. IoT in mission critical infrastructure can reduce the need for employees to perform in-person tasks, alert companies to collapsing equipment, and help businesses proactively address potential issues before they halt operations or endanger workers or communities.
Automating high-risk environments like mines and oil and gas drilling operations can help increase the safety of some staff and permit them to work instead of in a more dangerous environment. Deploying technology in manufacturing can also help to ensure that business can remain productive should some staff need to work remotely. The data generated from all of these new IoT devices and automated processes will help businesses gain new insights into their operation so that they can further innovate and improve efficiency.
IoT in Health Care
Health care has been one of the hardest hit and transformed industries during the pandemic. Technologies that medical personnel rarely used had to be hastily embraced to increase the safety of during this time. Contact restrictions resulted in the rapid expansion of telehealth options so that patients could receive and physicians provide care from the safety of their homes. The steep uptake of IoT devices in-hospital and wearables for patients to utilize at home so that medical staff can monitor their patients from anywhere, has ensued.
Now that many of these tools have been successfully adopted, the health-care industry will increasingly use them so that more people than ever before can receive health care. The convenience for patients, as well as providers, will continue this trend, helping to keep more low-risk patients out of hospital beds, and so unburdening and expanding health care to more remote areas.
Businesses across all industries are accelerating their adoption of IoT technology as they look to update their business processes to increase productivity and efficiency to meet the changing environment caused by the pandemic. This speedy execution will continue in 2021 as businesses look to automate, keep employees safe and improve upon some of the new benefits discovered by the adoption of new technologies. The IoT will help to transform a variety of industries with automation, and new insights from the data devices produce will help businesses improve and create new and innovative ways of conducting business.
Conclusion
Inteltag’s total solution uses RFID chips and scanners to help manage over a million pieces of linen for numerous industries like food manufacturers, critical infrastructures, hospitality and healthcare businesses.
Our platform delivers performance that is easy to deploy and use.
