TECHNOLOGY INTRODUCTION

The first step with any asset management system is deciding on the best type of technology that will be best suited for your requirement. Your reasons may be based on the fact that you need to keep track of your assets because they are unaccounted for and you think they are getting lost, or because you want to improve on warehouse and stock/inventory procedures and dynamics. Your requirement may depend on certain criteria such as do the assets have to withstand the outdoor elements, steam cleaning, oven or freezer temperatures etc. Whatever your reasons are, Allround Storage Solutions with their experience can help and advise you.

We won’t try and advise you on one specific technology though if we believe that one technology will not be sufficient – our specialist area is finding the best mix of all technologies that are used in conjunction to produce an end solution that meets your exact requirement and your budget, all backed up by our award-winning software.

Of course it would be great if an ‘off the shelf’ option was available to all, but in our experience this is never the case. You will have to consider –

Which type of system you need – manual scanning or the use of auto-ID technology?	What infrastructure is needed to put a system in place and at what cost?
If not bar codes then which type of RFID tag, active or passive, and what frequency – LF, HF or UHF?	What is the read range I can rely on?.
What do the tags have to affix to – wood, plastic, metal?	Will the bar codes or tags be subject to dirt, grease, impact etc?
Will there be any variation in temperature or humidity the tags need to withstand?

There are, of course, more questions that will need answering, and the answers are found and solved when your requirement is investigated further. Our technology know-how in auto-ID systems which include bar codes, RFID, Bluetooth and RTLS will find the right solution for you. We will provide you with an onsite evaluation and written report that, in our opinion, lets you know which technology or combination of technologies is best suited for your requirement. This is also a free initial assessment.

Here is a quick overview of the main technology we can offer. We also provide RTLS technology for complete stock and inventory control applications.

	Bar Code	Passive RFID	Bluetooth
Typical Applications	High volume, low value, consumables/inventory, manufacturer marked, fixed assets	Higher volume, medium value consumables/inventory, user marked requiring automatic ID in constrained environments or mobile, e.g. doorways, conveyors	High value equipment requiring zone based tracking, e.g. medical equipment, plant, industrial assets
Advantages	Low cost Labels and Devices Machine readable In-built accuracy checks Global Standards Read by any smartphone	Global standard Low Cost Tags, many formats Range – few meters Fixed & Mobile Readers Not line of sight, high concurrency High accuracy at short range Indefinite life Can be secured	Long range (up to 50m indoors) Flexible infrastructure Auto-Locating Constant monitoring Effective on-vehicle Lower cost readers Read by any smartphone (with an App)
Drawbacks	Line of sight Short range Read only Sequential scan Limited durability Can be copied	Requires RFID specific equipment, including handhelds Industrial Readers/Antennae expensive RF physics limitations Not suitable for zoning	Cannot triangulate Tag cost Definite tag life (Conneq 5-10 yrs)

For more Information please contact us on 01753 910344 or fill out the form on our contact page.