According to the customer request custom wood products manufacturers NorthwayIndustries using RFID system monitoring the progress of processing cabinets and other products. Design, the system is provided by AtlasRFIDSolutions help NorthwayIndustries tracking location of paper documents, the order for the company to understand this order within the prescribed time has been to which stage.
Northway chairman and CEODonaldO 'Hora think, with such information, furniture designers can better find delays phenomenon, can clear the production processing and report to the customer information between the primary and secondary. According to O 'Hora said, "the modernization of RFID provides a real-time method to collect the relevant work center data processing process, without the need for artificial."
Northway customers all over the United States, according to their own needs to customize a wooden products, including cabinets, closets and furniture used in the wall. In the company's factory, the product need 11 steps to complete production, including the original order, processed products, shipping and listing.
Every order will be from the office or to be circulation to the various stages of the different processing station, in order to manage this process, Northway advocated using folders. At any given time, there are about 100 folder in circulation, each folder containing the order or some special documents are in the process of the processing of additional documents. Manager if you want to update a orders, in order to find the file, he need to walk through all workstations.
In the summer of 2007, the company to seek help AtlasRFIDSolutions, want a let the process automation technology. So Northway update their workstation, in every workstation installation RFID read-write device and antenna. According to MarkBrown (Atlas solutions service director) said that they were each workstation installation of the omron company's RFID read-write device and antenna, also installed a VDC company production and integration of the motion detector, Atlas provides software.
When received a new order, Northway staff input data about order, scan RFIdentics EPCGen2 labels, these labels are labeled with the folder. If the quantity is less, the label directly to place them on a document. This process is the only electronic product code (EPC) put the label and order data. From this, after installation folder or file is placed in a workstation (note: RFID letters so for wooden cabinet using white board such a request, every furniture are easier to see).
So far, two equipped with RFID system has been running for the workstation, the company also plans in January this year, will be put into use, 11 workstation, speaking, reading and writing on behalf of the production process of each workstation a step. When a workstation employees finished the processing procedure of an assigned task, the employee will be under the folder to a workstation (installed) RFID system, the motion sensor can detect the arrival of the employees, and then activate RFID read-write device. With necessary raw material processing and shipped to the next workstation.
RFID read-write device is in the position 2 to 3 feet can get 50 folder ID number. Managers can use the computer to update the system, notice at such a time to read and write device read or send the RFID tag ID number. In other cases, the ID number can be through the connection AtlasRFIDSolutions company software, RFID radio frequency (rf) letters note: this software can convert data make it useful for Northway manufacturing execution system) of the cable to transmit to the backend system. When a folder on a workstation for a long time, or when the folder from a workstation, did not return back to within a prescribed period of time, the system would like managers computer warning.
According to Brown, equipped with RFID workstation can help Northway improve work efficiency. The company plans to put through the RFID data published to the web site, so that customers can get to the Internet, input order ID number, his attention to the completion of the order.
"We will also perform advanced information collection, such as through the analysis of the amount of staff." O 'Hora said, "this system is the result of Northway and AtlasRFIDSolutions company cooperation, Atlas listens to our opinions and requirements, then they on product innovation.
