Suppliers team up for lift truck RFID capabilities

By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 3/1/2006

Imagine a mobile RFID system capable of providing real-time location information and RFID tracking capabilities throughout the warehouse environment. That's the vision of several suppliers working to bring to market a lift truck focused on visibility.

Cisco Systems and RedPrairie have joined Intermec Inc. and Cascade Corp. to create a concept for a forklift that will build RFID and real-time location capabilities into the truck's hardware.

A concept forklift incorporating these ideas debuted at RFID World in Dallas. The forklift features Cisco's Wireless Location Appliance and RedPrarie's open Mobile Resource Management software integrated with an RFID reading system developed by Intermec and mounted on a Cascade lift truck attachment.

With the complete system, drivers can conveniently read and encode RFID tags without leaving the vehicle. The complete system provides the ruggedness, reliability and reading performance that forklift drivers need to use RFID conveniently.

Meanwhile, managers can obtain real-time data on vehicle locations and activity to make better use of labor and assets.

Each part of the system was developed and integrated specifically to meet the physical and wireless challenges found in industrial environments.

Forklifts envisioned by the group incorporate: computers positioned for maximum safety and efficiency, easy-to-reach RFID controls assimilated into the lift's control mechanisms, wireless real-time location tracking and navigational LEDs for optimal routing, and easy-to-adjust RFID readers designed into the frame of forklift attachments for flexible and accurate use with a wide range of goods and supplies.

The concept system, designed specifically for the rugged environment of daily warehouse use, also engineers in a sophisticated cable management system, state-of-the-art wireless scanning capabilities and a built-in camera for cargo documentation.