Solutions with new transponder technology

The introduction of the transponder links the physical material flow to the data flow at the lowest possible level. This means that for the first time goods bear detailed, variable information. The individual unit can be regarded as an autonomous system, containing all the important information about that product, embedded in the material flow.

Transponder technology enables the loading unit and the items it contains to be registered simultaneously. It provides two levels of control.

Level 1: The loading unit.

If the loading unit bears a "writeable" tag, it can be given the route it has to take and all the destination points at the start of the order. This relieves the higher-level IT (material flow controller) as it then has to deal with fewer destination queries.
Route changes are made at the re-routing stations provided or at the order-picking stations.

Level 2: The items.

The items bear "readable" tags. These may contain the following information: the name of the item, the date of manufacture, the batch, expiry date, etc.

There are a number of conceivable applications. For example, an intelligent refrigerator equipped with antennas issues a warning in good time before an item reaches its expiry date.

One advantage of this technology is the simple control of the flow of goods. The loading unit and the items it contains can be registered at any time, even as they pass by on a conveyor system. Tipping out to recount and repacking are minimized.

A suitable selection of reading stations enables the items and loading units to be continuously traced throughout the entire distribution center (DC) and beyond. Whereas stationary antennas are frequently used inside the DC, the goods can also be traced to the end customer with the aid of mobile reading units.

If there is a continuous recording system from the DC to the end customer (retail dealer), the use of transponder technology will enable a precisely targeted recall action, allowing the company affected to achieve a high degree of damage limitation.

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