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Origin of RFID tags

Leon Theremin is thought to be the first user or inventor of this device as the inevitable part of spy-kit for the Russian Government in 1945. This cannot be a reliable story: the tool invented by Theremin was a passive covert listening device and not an identification tag. The technology applied in RFID has actually been since the early 1920s. The IFF transponder, a much more relevant technology, developed in 1939 and the British utilised it during the Second World War to detect airplanes whether they were friends or foes.

What is RFID?

RFID is an all-encompassing expression for technologies that employ radio waves to recognize p

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

eople or objects automatically. After storing a serial number or other identification data on the chip connected to an antenna, user can use a reader to receive radio waves from the chip and convert the signal into digital information, which can be passed over to computers and be used of.

This technology finds its maximum usage in payment systems, access control and asset tracking. For instance, the logistics industry often uses it in making out large cargos.

RF technology has a widespread use in many areas of electronics and technology such as television, radio, cellular phones, radar and automatic identification systems. RFID (Radio Frequency Identi

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

ication) provides Automatic Identification of items by using radio frequency signals. RFID is used in various applications like toll collection (electronic), railway car identification and tracking, intermodal container identification, asset identification and tracking, item management for retail, health care and logistics applications national, access control, animal identification, fuel dispensing loyalty programmes, automobile immobilizing and so on.

Radio Frequency (RF) makes mention of electromagnetic waves with a wavelength that fit to use in radio communication. Categorized by their frequencies, radio waves are indicated in kilohertz, megahertz

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

or gigahertz. Radio frequencies range from very low frequency (VLF), which has a range of 10 to 30 kHz, to extremely high frequency (EHF), which has a range of 30 to 300 GHz.

RFID - An Outline

RFID is the fittest and supple technology for automatic operation due to its resilience. It offers benefits not available in other identification technologies. RFID can function under various environmental situations and offers a high quality of data integrity. Moreover, since the technology is hard to simulate, it gives advanced level of security.

Essentially RFID is not different from bar coding. Bar code uses a reader and coded labels that are attached to an

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

item, whereas RFID employs a reader and special RFID tools that are connected to an item. To transmit information from the label to reader, Bar code makes use of optical signals but RFID uses RF signals for the same.

Radio waves communicate between an item to which an RFID device is attached and an RFID reader. The tool can have information of the item, such as what the item is, what time a device takes to travel through a particular area, even a parameter such as temperature. Practically, RFID tools such as a tag or label can be connected to anything - from a vehicle to a pallet of products.

RFID technology uses frequencies within the range of 50 kHz

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

to 2.5 GHz. An RFID system incorporates following parts:

. An RFID tool that accommodates data about an item.

. An antenna used to transfer the RF signals between the reader and the RFID device.

. An RFID transceiver that generates the RF signals.

. A reader that gets RF transmissions from an RFID tool and forward the data to a host system for processing.

Moreover, an RFID system includes application-specific software.

Types of RFID tags

RFID tags have two types: active or passive.

Passive RFID tags are lacking in power supply of their own whereas Active RFID tags are full with power source and may have extensive ranges and sizable memories tha

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

passive tags and they have more space to accommodate extra data sent by transceiver. Today, one can find the smallest active tags in the size of a coin.

Passive RFID tags are more in use because their manufacturing cost is cheaper and they are not dependent on battery. Apart from cost advantages, there is nothing special in Passive Tags and exactness and reliability of Active Tags make the use of Active Tags common today. Classified by their radio frequency, there are four types of tags in use viz. low frequency, high frequency, UHF tags and Microwave tags.

Superiority of RFID to Bar Coding

According to research team, RFID tag has the capacity to st

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

ore more data including serial number, individual product information and all other information the manufacturers want to insert. Unlike Barcode system, RFID scrutinizes each product individually and does not identify the whole type of product.

RFID technology helps us in spotting any product within a certain distance; we are not required to see the physical existence of product. These plastic-made passive tags are more durable and re-usable.

Usage of RFID Tags

. Low-frequency RFID tags have a widespread use for animal identification, beer keg and automobile key-and-lock, anti-theft systems.

. High-frequency RFID tags are applied in library book or

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

ookstore tracking, pallet tracking, building access control, airline baggage tracking and apparel item tracking. High-frequency tags are extensively used to identify badges and to replace earlier magnetic stripe cards.

. UHF is normally used in pallet and container tracking in commerce and truck and trailer tracking in shipping yards.

. Microwave RFID tags are used in long-range access control for vehicles.

. RFID transceivers can be used in measuring Seismic sensors, making less complicated remote data collection.

. RFID transponders can be embedded into tyres for tyre tracking; RFID chips are useful in cards as electronic cash.

. This system has

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

a new usage as Smart Key; the key fob contains active RFID circuit that identifies the presence of key within 3 feet of sensor. Consequently driver feels free to open the doors and start the engine even if the key remains in driver's purse or pocket. Invented for animal marking, the embeddable RFID chips are used and brooded over for human beings also.

Potential uses

It is visualized that RFID tags would replace UPC or EAN bar codes because the former has many advantages over the barcode system. However, barcodes have their own plus like lower price than RFID and this quality will keep the barcodes roaming in the market.

Present UPC codes are confine

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

to a single code but RFID codes stand on the opposite end, i.e. they are so long that they have unique code. The matchless qualities of RFID tags denote that a product may be separately tracked as it moves from location to location, eventually arriving in the customers' hands. This system helps organizations in fighting against pilfering and other product losses.

RFID in Textile Rental

The primary use of RFID in textile rental has, till the date, centered on automating the garment handling process, including check-in, sorting, and checkout. RFID systems in textile rental can eliminate significant manual labor generating typical ROI under two years. A

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

dditionally, RFID systems are extremely accurate and generate significant improvements in customer satisfaction.

Benefits of RFID for Textile rental companies

. Soiled garment check-in can be conducted inside of the delivery bags saving time and increasing accuracy.

. Clean garments can be automatically or semi-automatically sorted saving significant labor costs.

. RFID enables automated customer premises garment collectors and dispensers allowing for further reduction of end-customer costs and increased textile services margins.

RFID in the Fashion Apparel Industry

Many Fashion Apparel & Textile companies - particularly those with a large network

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

of stores - are well underway in terms of streamlining their supply chain and optimising sales forecasts and distribution. They are now looking for ways to enhance revenues and market share by adopting modern ways of managing stores and inventory. RFID has now become a centrepiece in their strategic thinking.

Usefulness of RFID in Textile Supply Chain

We can conclude following advantages from several functions of RFID:

This technology is able to compute the total expenditure of commodities in the clumsy situations automatically. Therefore, it diminishes manoeuvring expenses, accelerates the inspecting process, cuts down faults at the cash register, d

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

oubles customer satisfaction and reduces pilfering. With RFID retailers can have an excellent visibility into store operations, which include obtaining back room stock information, stock outs and the locations of inventory in the store. This visibility improves both customer service leads and commodities safety efforts.

Since all the commodities are equipped with the detectors of RFID, retailers are able to have physical confirmation of inventories for number of times everyday or whenever required. Once Inventory counts are created, they can be accomplished within few minutes without any human requirements. Retailers can enjoy the savings of bundle of

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

dollars every year by cutting down physical counts.

Extra security for goods, improvement in the visibility and decrease in the cost of mobile commodities can be offered by RFID tags. They are perfect in sending right commodities to the right place in good time. Effectiveness of Supply Chain not only reduces labour force but also enhances sales.

Items can be labelled and tracked electronically with RFID tags. For instance, asset tracking normally results into better commodity management in stores. RFID has the ability to recognize origins of change and fabrication and can help in removing pilfering.

Benefits

RFID is not new. The challenge has always

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

been to identify when it is appropriate to apply the technology to your particular supply chain model.

The technology itself offers an opportunity to scan many items simultaneously because it does not need individual line of sight for each item. Thus, a pallet arriving in a warehouse with 10 cases is scanned once, reading all 10 cases simultaneously - including the two in the center of the pallet hidden from the human eye.

Additionally, the ability to store more information on a tag than a bar code enables application of the electronic product code (EPC) to identify items uniquely.

Many opportunities across inventory management, batch management and

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

logistics exist. One opportunity with RFID is automating basic tracking of products. Current manual processes require employees to scan and record data as items move. RFID can help automate this. For instance, if a pallet of yarn has a RFID tag on it and your forklift has a RFID reader aboard; your driver has immediate information of the contents of the pallet when he pulls close enough for the reader to communicate with the tag. Based on that, he knows where that pallet belongs. When it is time to load a knitting machine with yarn, RFID helps locate the pallet stored in the warehouse, wherever it may have been moved, and alerts the driver to its curren

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

t location.

Another benefit is in the area of batch management and quality assurance. For instance, the possibility of mixing lots of yarn on a knitting machine will be reduced, as you now match a particular lot of yarn with the knitting machine and the production order. The reader on the knitting machine will alert the operator if yarn entering its perimeter is incorrect.

Data carrier and communication device need not to be connected physically. For a common garment retailer is happy to know that instead of walking down each lane in the store or warehouse to check inventory, workers can perform their action from the same premises and accomplish the c

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

lculation of inventory in minutes.

Read/write capacities can be conducted within the same assembly line or remotely across continents.

Mobile-tracking tools can be reutilised or disposed, as per the requirement of RFID operation.

In proportion to barcode system, which has 2 to 3 percent failure rate, RFID is able to achieve 100% scanning rate when the item is being scanned for the first time.

Numerous tags can be read at the same time. 'Cluster Reading', as the procedure is known, enhances the data piling process significantly.

RFID improves retailer's ability to scan past all sorts of weather and through other surroundings like metals, bodies of w

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

ater and dirt. This capacity of RFID easily overshadows barcode scanning which normally fails. Total expenses of retailer's scanning procedures are reduced by RFID and since RFID can beef up preciseness and data availability, these reduced expenses will turn into savings of time and money.

Finally, the logistics benefit comes from automating the manifest as a container is being loaded. As a roll of fabric passes through the RFID-enabled dock door to the truck, that roll is automatically added to the manifest. If you were to have the truck pass through a second canopy on the way out of the yard, you can again match what's on the truck with the manifest

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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It is very important to keep in mind that forecasting solution is superior, but just as superior as the person who uses it. Putting money in user training, and assuring that the technology helps in decision-making, is the key that will eventually fetch the remuneration.

Have you ever tried to contact a past employer only to discover they are no longer in existence or your former manager has moved on and been replaced by someone else? Can't remember which issue of the trade magazine featured you after you received the Employee of the Year Award?

Some call it karma. Others call it sin. Whatever it's called in your circle—it seems to haunt you later in life. It bites you in the ass and leaves painful marks.

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