11.30.-1
RFID tags tap new markets
Bathroom and kitchen fittings seem an unlikely new field for RFID tags, but Hansgrohe, the company that puts its products into a substantial part of Europe’s bathrooms, now uses smart tags to control its workflow, and in particular to ensure that before products are sold, all necessary parts are present and correct in each kit.
The RFID based system links all stages of manufacturing, including inventories and re-ordering. The bad news from a smart tag manufacturer’s point of view (UPM in this instance) is that the quantities used are modest – around 200 to 500 tags per day. This development is typical of the European smart tag market, which, having failed to break into the large-volume unit labeling business, is going after low-volume, high-tech options such as the one introduced by Hansgrohe. Whether it will encourage your plumber to turn up when expected is quite another matter.
Bathroom and kitchen fittings seem an unlikely new field for RFID tags, but Hansgrohe, the company that puts its products into a substantial part of Europe’s bathrooms, now uses smart tags to control its workflow, and in particular to ensure that before products are sold, all necessary parts are present and correct in each kit.
The RFID based system links all stages of manufacturing, including inventories and re-ordering. The bad news from a smart tag manufacturer’s point of view (UPM in this instance) is that the quantities used are modest – around 200 to 500 tags per day. This development is typical of the European smart tag market, which, having failed to break into the large-volume unit labeling business, is going after low-volume, high-tech options such as the one introduced by Hansgrohe. Whether it will encourage your plumber to turn up when expected is quite another matter.