RFID Solution suits manufactured concrete industry.
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Press Release Summary:
To streamline production and inventory management processes, TrackCon® acts as complete product identification and tracking system via mobile computer with RFID read capabilities and Cast-A-Code® tag. End-to-end traceability solution serializes and provides real-time location data for manufactured concrete structures. RFID data is used to identify and solve quality issues, ensure proper material shipment, record GPS coordinates of delivered materials, and prepare invoices.
Original Press Release:
UPM Raflatac Partners with International Coding Technologies, Inc. on RFID-Enabled Productivity Solution for the Manufactured Concrete Industry
(UPM Raflatac, Tampere, August 14, 2008) -International Coding Technologies, Inc. (ICT) has developed a revolutionary wireless RFID solution for the concrete industry. The solution streamlines critical production and inventory management processes and uses UPM Raflatac's Gen2 RFID tags.
The system, TrackCon®, offers a complete product identification and tracking system, using a mobile computer with RFID read capabilities and a Cast-A-Code® tag to provide cradle-to-grave traceability of manufactured concrete structures, including precast, prestress and architectural products. The Cast-A-Code® tag features UPM Raflatac's DogBone UHF tag and a water-tight, castable RFID inlay that affixes securely to concrete structures.
The manufactured concrete industry has historically struggled with inventory management challenges. Main issues include manually handled quality control processes, difficulties in verifying customer receipt of materials and high logistical costs due to material returns and reshipments. By serializing each structure and providing real-time data on the location of individual structures, TrackCon® allows concrete manufacturers to optimize critical production and distribution processes.
RFID data is used to identify and solve quality issues, ensure that the right materials are shipped to customers, automatically record the GPS coordinates of delivered materials and prepare accurate invoices.
TrackCon® also enables concrete manufacturers to deliver superior service by providing customers with the critical information they need to manage inventory in large-scale building projects. In addition, it helps identify and trace concrete structures across their lifespans to maintain their structural integrity and safety.
"We believe the combination of Cast-A-Code® and TrackCon® will give our business the same real-time management tools other industries have enjoyed for years," says Greg Stratis, General Manager, EF Shea.
To develop TrackCon®, ICT needed to overcome technical obstacles, including creating a form that could be anchored to concrete structures and ensuring that RFID tags would read accurately through up to 12 inches of concrete.
"After extensive testing, we determined that UPM Raflatac's DogBone UHF RFID tags provided the best read rates from the furthest distances, allowing us to offer our customers a truly powerful RFID-enabled productivity solution," says Tom Tilson, CEO, International Coding Technologies, Inc.
"UPM Raflatac is pleased to partner with ICT to develop a new system that offers innovative, leap-ahead inventory management capabilities to the manufactured concrete industry," says Jan Svoboda, RFID Sales & Marketing Director, Americas, UPM Raflatac. "We believe that the TrackCon® solution and our DogBone UHF tag provide customers with powerful insights they can use to optimize their supply chains and strengthen vital business relationships."
For further information please contact:
Mr Jan Svoboda, Sales and Marketing Director, Americas, RFID, UPM Raflatac Tel. +1 805 312 4679
Ms Karen Tilson, Vice President, Marketing, ICT Tel. + 1 978 568 3460
About UPM Raflatac
UPM Raflatac, the Label Division of UPM, is a world-leading supplier of self-adhesive label materials for a wide variety of needs in product and information labeling. In addition, the company is at the global forefront in the development and high-volume production of HF and UHF radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and inlays. UPM Raflatac has around 2,700 employees and made sales of approximately USD 1.4 billion (EUR 1 billion) in 2007. The company has a global service network consisting of 12 factories on five continents and a broad network of distribution and slitting terminals and sales offices worldwide. Further information is available at www.upmraflatac.com.
About International Coding Technologies, Inc.
International Coding Technologies, Inc. (ICT) is the parent company to TrackCon®, Ruggedized RFID and TEMA Solutions. ICT was established to help businesses solve their data collection problems. Whether you already have RFID or bar codes in your business or are evaluating automated data collection for the first time, ICT has the resources and expertise you need to integrate data capture into your business. ICT's customer list includes some of the most recognizable Fortune 500 names. Located in Beverly, Massachusetts, USA, ICT has its roots in bar code technology working with the manufacturing, distribution and medical industries to provide bar code/RFID equipment, software, media and integration consulting. Further information is available at www.ictrfid.com.
