Magic? Or just inventory management at the push of a button?

A handful of suppliers are taking RTLS to a new level by coupling it with ultra-wideband sensors that not only piggyback on the user’s existing wireless infrastructure, but also offer considerably larger fields of view than earlier RTLS solutions.

By John M. Hill, principal, ESYNC -- Modern Materials Handling, 10/3/2007

Thirty years ago, industry watchers heralded the importance of real-time data capture (AIDC) technologies that tightened the gap between material and data flow, and provided the visibility of work in process so important to effective operations management. 

Until the mid-1990s, the AIDC workhorse in manufacturing, ware­housing and distribution was the bar code – and, make no mistake, it still is! However, with the release of the Wal-Mart and DoD compliance mandates a few years ago, the focus shifted to RFID and the advantages it appeared to offer for hands-free, non line-of-sight data capture.  

About that time, I received a phone call from a warehouse manager who asked if it was possible to tag inbound inventory with RFID devices that would enable an operator to periodically push a button on his warehouse management system (WMS) keyboard and instantly update his inventory-by-location database. I noted that although theoretically feasible, technical issues and the cost of such a solution were not likely to make it practical for at least 10 or 15 years. Today, I’m less certain of that timeline.

As you know, a number of challenges have slowed the pace of adoption of RFID in the retail sector. Those same challenges have not stopped the RFID development, nor deployment of the technology for the identification of high value items, railcars, tractors or trailers, as well as reusable or returnable containers and pallets. 

In the background, real-time location systems (RTLS) have been gaining market share with solutions for fixed and mobile asset management using RFID tags, strategically deployed readers and software that uses triangulation algorithms to pinpoint asset location to within a few feet. RTLS is being used today to track vehicles, containers, airport equipment and cargo, hazardous materials, lift trucks, tools and equipment, and personnel. Tag costs and the costs associated with reader/antenna deployment have been hurdles.  

Fresh look at RTLS

Now, a handful of suppliers are taking the RTLS concept to a new level by coupling it with ultra-wideband sensors that not only piggyback on the user’s existing wireless infrastructure, but also offer considerably larger fields of view (50 to 200 feet) than earlier RTLS solutions. That reduces the number of reading devices (and costs) needed to provide coverage within a given area.

Battery-powered UWB tag costs, which range between $20 and $80, restrict current applications to high value asset tracking, but the technology does provide users with the ability to locate an asset (or find a wandering patient in a hospital) with a simple push of a button. 

This is more than magic: Given increased volume and refinement of production techniques, tag costs are already coming down, and I now fully expect to see push-button inventory management in someone’s warehouse before the end of the decade.