Maximizing Asset Visibility with Mobile RFID Readers. RFID Journal Webinar October 11, 2006

Transcription

1 Maximizing Asset Visibility with Mobile RFID Readers RFID Journal Webinar October 11, 2006

2 Going Mobile: The Next Phase of RFID - Maximizing Asset Visibility with Mobile RFID Readers Mark Roberti, Editor - Opening Remarks Joe White VP Product Management & Engineering - The Case for RFID Mobility - Mobile RFID Applications - What To Look For in Mobile RFID Readers Tom C. Abraham - Director of Solutions - Mobile Readers in Source Tagging and Asset Management Tom Barber - Director, Products & Marketing - Section Title

3 Mark Roberti Establishing Mobile-RFID read points within the facilitators of product movement (as opposed to along the product path) defines: Increased RFID read opportunities Savings on Customer HW Increased Utilization/Reader Reduction in installation time

4 Symbol Technologies Joe White VP, Product Management & Engineering The Case For RFID Mobility

5 Why RFID Mobility? The Case For Mobile RFID Readers Current deployment practice focused on choke points E.g., dock doors Products transition choke points rapidly Limited read opportunities with stationary readers Thus, read accuracy is reduced Visibility beyond choke points It s in the warehouse But Where? ROI per choke point Dependent on the product traffic through that point E.g. DCs typically have only % of their dock doors active at any one time RFID Door Infrastructure typically inactive

6 Mobile RFID Enhancing visibility and ROI Increased Interaction Material handling equipment (MHE) has the most interaction with assets & the most read opportunities Comprehensive DC coverage Increased, granular product visibility Reliable and accurate, location and status Increased utilization per reader Investment protection Increased automation Vehicle drivers don t spend time recording receipt, movement and placement of goods Decreased placement/location errors

7 Today s Typical Read Points... As Good As Your Last Scan RFID Portals Portal Choke Point Only Rapid Asset Transition HH HH HH Portal RFID Handhelds On-Demand, Non-Bulk Data Capture

8 ... Exist Throughout Supply Chains Today P o c k e t s o f V i s i b i l I t y Supplier Plant Transportation Distribution Center Store Predictable (Choke Point) Visibility As Good As Your Last Scan RFID Always-On, Pervasive, Network

9 RFID Mobility Smaller, Un-tethered Mobile Readers More Locations & MHE for Warehouse Visibility Serves Multiple Levels of Asset Transition System Read Rates vs. Single Reader Read Rates

10 RFID in the mobile environment Mobile reader product requirement Fixed readers Handheld readers Mobile readers Form factor compact, integrated Ruggedness, sealing Installation complexity Maintenance ease/tco Application platform Power options Non-intrusive to business process Connectivity Motion/proximity awareness

11 A validation study Paper-towels tracked along multiple routes Manufacturing Distribution In-store phases RFID read opportunities were measured As the product transitioned Forklifts, clamp trucks, stretch wrappers, manual staging, push carts and dock doors

12 Dramatic results Dock door read opportunities 5-10 seconds. Material handling equipment read opportunities second range. The new RFID economics: Equipment $ Seconds of read opportunity

13 Pallet Jacks Portals Skate Wheel Conveyors Forklifts Clamp Trucks Shrink Wrappers Pallet Jacks Mobile Carts

14 Mobile RFID Readers For Forklifts Controlled via software by local VRC or Handheld Compact, Rugged, Integrated Design Integrated antenna, WLAN, BT Battery-power.* Environmental specs Withstands vibration, temperature, water, dust & grease Cutting edge technologies to detect proximity to products and vehicle motion Windows Mobile Platform Future support for optional, external antenna

15 Mobile RFID Readers For Forklifts Rugged, Cable-Free Form Factors WLAN & Bluetooth Benefits Tracking Pallets and case loads Real-time decision making..without impeding velocity of goods Picking and placing Wirelessly Controlled by Vehicle Mount Computers & Handhelds Environmental specs to withstand vibration, temperature, water, dust & grease Cutting edge technologies to detect proximity to products and vehicle motion Shelf Tag for Locationing Metal Mount Tags for Fixed Asset Management

16 Retail Mobile Reader Applications On-Floor, Routine Inventory Reduce Outsourced, Inventory Services RFID-enabled Mobile Carts for Daily Inventory RFID Handhelds for Exceptions/Locationing Future, Retail Technology Enablement Price Checkers Contactless Payment Line Busting Self-Service Kiosks Customer Loyalty Employees POS Integration Apparel DVD s Symbol MC70 Wireless/Bluetooth Communication Backroom Receiving Electronics & Appliances

17 Additional Mobile Reader Applications Conveyors Other MHE Smaller, Un-tethered Mobile Readers for Point of Activity Decision-Making RFID Application Re-use For Investment Return Waste Management Conveyors/ Skate Wheels Access Control/ Outdoor Locations Balers & Trash Compactors

18 Mobile RFID Handhelds Mandatory Component of RFID Mobility Fully rugged, integrated RFID Reader Symbol MC9000-G RFID RFID Bar code and RFID scanning, imaging, and input options WLAN Connectivity From Back-Office Receiving Audits/Changing/Checking Shipping Receiving Inventory To Back-Room & Floor

19 RFID Mobility presents a unique set of requirements: Fixed readers not designed for vehicle mounting Obtrusive cabling and external antennas requiring pulleys and cable managers which interrupt existing business processes Power requirements Handheld readers require operator interaction Affecting operator efficiency Manual solution Mobile RFID capabilities require ground-up reader design Symbol Pioneering the creation of a new product category Competition Retrofitting fixed readers

20 Symbol RD5000 Survivability IP66 Sealed Withstands vibration, temperature, water, dust & grease Rugged design survives 70G of shock Flexibility Battery or DC powered abg or Bluetooth operation Control by forklift or handheld computer or- run as standalone Small footprint and lack of cables makes deployment and service easy Cutting edge technologies to detect proximity to products and vehicle motion Performance Integrated reader/antenna allows Gen 2 Support X-scale with Win CE 5.0 for easy application development Optional external antenna extends visibility depending on the application For USA and Canada sale only

21 Tom Abraham Director of Solutions Mobile Readers in Source Tagging and Asset Management

22 RD5000 Benefits RD5000 Mobile Reader enables MHE reading Keeps asset visibility more real time Integratable to legacy to reduce mistakes Longer read time for improved performance Convenient, compact readers Smaller footprint than a full RFID portal Useful for conveyor reads (WIP statuses) Integrated with proximity sensor to read when needed Robust and industrial design Can survive the normal wear of supply chain No loose cables or peripheral equipment Standard Symbol power design works with existing batteries or connects to DC power of MHE

23 Source Tagging Solutions Manual Slap-n-Ship Solutions Mobile readers are more flexible with operators Perform wireless tag validations (MC9000- G RFID Handheld) Allows for mobile carts with either handhelds or mobile readers Automated, High Volume Solutions Bundled conveyor portal (RD5000) Simplified validation / rework portal (MC9000 or RD5000) For reusable assets, provides useful status updates ( Created, Available, etc.) on manufacturing lines

24 Asset Management Apps MC9000-G RFID Handheld Robust handheld with nice UI Actual asset management application screens:

25 Asset Management, cont d RD5000 Mobile Reader Used in asset application monitoring movements of assets Excellent RFID beam width Provides automated visibility updates as to location, asset IDs, dwell times, etc.

26 Conclusions The XR400 fixed reader, MC9000 handheld and RD5000 mobile reader round out the RFID HW offering Full complement of RFID tags Mobile terminals and data collection equipment Wal-Mart re-affirms it s commitment on compliance Pipeline for asset tracking supply chain opportunities is growing Increased demand in RFID Asset Management

27 Creative Concepts Tom Barber Director, Products & Marketing RD5000 Clamp Truck Application

28 Creative-Sentinel 28+ years providing solutions Symbol Premier Solutions Provider Wireless Data Capture Experts Passive and Active RFID Experts In-house application development teams Fortune 500 clients RFID CERTIFIED

29 Customer Problem to Solve Large Appliance Retailer Clamp Truck Handling Product Damage Issues Causes: Incorrect Clamp Pressure Results: Product Loss and Excessive Returns

30 Clamp Truck Operation

31 Solution Solution: Automatically identify product in front of clamp truck (via RFID) and notify operator of correct clamp pressure to use Components: Symbol VC5090 RD5000 Creative Sentinel Custom Application

32 SKU Washer Washer Washer Washer QUANTITY: 4 PSI: 1400 Creative Deck Here JOB COMPLETED OKAY TO CLAMP CANCEL

33 Symbol RD5000 Mounting

34 Conclusion Pilot project proved the concept. Damages virtually eliminated. Project represents just the starting point of what can be done with RFID in a forklift application. KEY: positively identifying products loaded to save time and reduce errors.

35 Symbol Technologies Joe White VP, Product Management & Engineering

36 RD5000 Read Zone Radiation pattern is approximately 160 o wide and tall, up to ~6 away Tag reads are possible even outside this zone Power will be very low A wide pattern is required to maximize case and pallet tag reads Due to the close proximity between the pallets and the reader Antenna gain: 1.5 db (linear per axis) 160 o A wide pattern maximizes case and pallet tag reads in spite of the close proximity between the pallets and the reader 6

37 RD5000 Power management Battery life dependent on RFID read frequency or duty cycle, and WLAN and BT usage. Beta sites have demonstrated up to 8- hour battery life Application profiles include Continuous RFID reads at ~ 20 % duty cycle Triggered reads using the proximity sensor Same battery as MC9000 Series Mobile Computer Can also be wall-powered for stationary applications

38 Interactive Sensing Technologies RD5000 incorporates cutting edge technologies to optimize and automate RFID operations. Extensive tuning will be required before these features can be used in live trials NOT ready to deploy out of the box. Proximity sensor Proximity Sensor Ultrasonic sensor to detect proximity to pallets, cartons, etc. Indicates distance to obstructions in the 3-7 foot range, with a nominal accuracy of 6 inches Acceleration sensor Can detect acceleration (between -2 and +2 g s) along all 3 axes Uses include detecting vehicle and fork motion to trigger decision points

39 RD5000 solution alternatives RD5000 offers multiple options for connectivity and application deployment RD VC5090 communicating over or BT RD MC70 communicating over or BT RD MC50 communicating over RD PC communicating over RD5000 standalone with embedded application Symbol MC50 Symbol VC5090 Vehicle Mounted Computer Symbol MC70

40 Pricing, Certification & Training Part number: RD US Includes RD5000 with one battery List price: USD $7,995 Sales regions: USA & Canada only Class 2 A certified product Requires partners to take on-line training found on the Symbol Learning Portal One person must pass a sales assessment and another must pass the technical assessment Training materials will be available on Symbol s Learning Portal by October 2006

41 Symbol/Motorola Announcement September 19, 2006 Symbol signs a definitive merger agreement with Motorola. Symbol will be the core of Motorola s global enterprise mobility business. Sal Iannuzzi, Symbol President and CEO will lead the division. Shared culture of innovation, commitment to excellence. Exciting future growth opportunities Symbol Technologies and Motorola share a common vision A digital, mobile world for enterprises that matches the world people enjoy at home and at play. The Internet everywhere, data at our fingertips regardless of device or network, and so much more.

42 Symbol/Motorola Announcement Symbol is the right partner for Motorola Symbol has a strong mobile enterprise product portfolio, channels and customer base, backed by more than 12,000 channel partners and distributors and more than 1,000 patents. The two companies naturally complement each other. We re taking enterprise mobility to the next level. By combining our adjacent assets, expertise, customer bases, supplier bases and industry-leading products, we are both better positioned for success. We will together be a leading player in enterprise mobility and deliver significant value to both our customers, partners and shareholders.

43 Thank You Q & A x