RFID 201
An introduction to using RFID technology for fi le tracking
The fi rst, best question: Why should I care?
Your most critical records are on paper, and always will be. Yes, electronic documents offer certain advantages. Yes, paper has certain disadvantages.
Still, the primary benefi ts of paper records cannot be duplicated by any other medium currently available. Paper is more secure: it can’t be wiped out by a computer virus and it’s harder to manipulate. Paper is more confi dential: it can’t be inadvertently distributed by a careless mouse-click. You trust paper more. Your customers and clients trust it more. Auditors—especially government agency watchdogs—trust it more. (And that’s one reason why some regulatory agencies still consider the paper document the offi cial document.)
But paper can be notoriously ineffi cient. Physical records can be misplaced and misfi led. We put them in drawers or on cabinets and forget about them. When we lose paper fi les, the cost might be hours of frantic searching. Or it might be catastrophic failure.
Radio frequency identifi cation (RFID) technology works like a search engine for the physical world. It is a simple, reliable, everyday technology that dramatically increases the effi ciency of paper fi les and the productivity of people who use them.
Bottom line: Paper is necessary. RFID makes it more secure, more reliable and more effi cient. And in most applications, the costs of RFID implementation can be rapidly recouped by gains in productivity. And after the system has paid for itself, it continues to generate savings—and security—for a decade or longer.
What is RFID?
In the simplest terms, an RFID system has three parts: a tag, a reader and software to connect the two. Information is encoded on the tag; the reader accesses that information and passes it along to software.
Within the tag, there is a microchip (which holds the information) and an antenna. This assembly is usually covered with a protective overlay. (The durability of the overlay is determined by the application. If your tag is attached to a fi le, a paper overlay provides adequate protection; if the tag is affi xed to a jet engine part, you’ll want something more resilient.) The back of the overlay has an adhesive so the assembly can be permanently installed. In a fi le, the fi nal assembly is unobtrusive, usually a couple of inches square and very thin. File RFID tags are passive: they have no batteries or other power source. The energy needed to power and read the tag comes from the reader.
An RFID-equipped offi ce usually has readers (also called tracking pads) near the fi le room exits and in most offi ces. Hand-held trackers are used to scan fi les in the fi le room or in individual offi ces, either to fi nd a missing fi le or to update the inventory.
RFID 201 for File Tracking… page 2
How many times have you used RFID this week?
If you purchased a new shirt or sweater, that garment could have had an RFID tag sewn into a seam. If you drove through an automatic tollbooth or bought gas at a service station, you could have used RFID (and you might have been driving a car that uses a keyless RFID ignition system). If your lost dog or cat is identifi ed with an implanted chip, you can thank RFID technology. If you’ve run a marathon, you might have been issued an RFID shoe tag that registered your time as you crossed the fi nish line. In some countries, your passport has an embedded RFID tag.
And those are only the uses of RFID technology that we hold in our hands. Behind the scenes, RFID tags and readers are used to monitor global inventories and help libraries organize their shelves. They help ensure that lab samples are properly identifi ed and jet engines are properly maintained.
Rudimentary RFID devices were introduced in the 1940s. After more than six decades of research and refi nement, the technology is now woven into the fabric of our lives. The application of RFID should accelerate in the next few years, as even more manufacturers and service providers exploit its cost effectiveness and high reliability.
How does RFID work?
RFID readers emit signals that search for a tag. When a tag comes within range, the signal hits it, “awakens” the tag, and provides the power for the tag to respond with the information requested by the reader.
• When fi les need to be removed from the fi le room, the employee sets them on the tracking pad. (Unlike barcodes, multiple RFID tags can be read at once.) The pad instantly requests information and the tags respond with each fi le’s unique identifi cation number. The RFID system relays the ID number to the fi le management software, which records when the fi le was removed and who removed it. Most users report that employees are highly likely to comply with RFID fi le-tracking procedures, primarily because the system is very easy to use. • When the fi le is brought into an offi ce, it is again placed on a tracking pad, providing an up-to-date status of the fi le’s location.
• When a fi le needs to be located, any employee with access to the fi le management software can review its movements and determine its current location.
• When a fi le cannot be found immediately, the handheld tracker allows employees to search the offi ce in a fraction of the time it once took. Some offi ces will also conduct intermittent sweeps with the tracker, to ensure that the inventory of fi le locations is current and accurate. The range of an RFID system is tailored to the application. In a large warehouse, systems need to be able to read tags that are on pallets that are 15 or 20 feet away. In an offi ce, systems are designed to pinpoint a fi le’s location on a desk or a specifi c shelf.
RFID has a couple of advantages over other fi le-tracking technologies, such as barcodes. For example, each time a barcoded item is scanned, the staff member must present it individually to the reader and align it with a scanner. This is a time-consuming process compared to RFID technology, which allows several items to be scanned at once and which does not require alignment. Also, barcoded items sometimes require multiple scans before they are read. And barcodes—because they are printed on paper and must be mounted on the outside of a volume or container—can be scratched or otherwise rendered unreadable due to normal wear-and-tear.
How does RFID benefi t my staff?
Improved productivity: The 3M™ RFID Tracking System helps employees quickly access vital information. More effi cient than barcoding, the 3M system lets them locate multiple fi les at once with the wave of a hand-held device—and then check those fi les out simultaneously by setting them on the tracking pad. Along with increased productivity, the system eliminates the cost of recreating missing fi les. And it provides a great and fast return on investment.
Improved job satisfaction: Job satisfaction goes up when employees spend less time chasing down lost fi les and more time doing the high-value-added tasks they were trained to do.
What do critics say about RFID?
The technology behind RFID is generally accepted today. It is durable, reliable and cost-effective—which is why it is becoming increasingly common in our day-to-day lives.
Some early critics of the technology questioned the durability of RFID tags. This concern stems from a misunderstanding about the different kinds of tags that are commercially available. Some tags are designed for operations that require a limited lifespan (six to 12 months); others are designed and built to last for decades.
In short: all tags are not created equal.
Typically, shorter lifespan tags are designed for monitoring goods as they pass through the supply chain. These tags operate on an ultra-high frequency; this gives them a long read-range (15 to 20 feet), which is ideal for use in a warehouse or retail store. Because they are built for shorter life spans, they can be manufactured inexpensively. As these tags approach the end of their projected lifecycle, their read-range will often drop off and the tag eventually fails. In contrast, high-frequency tags (such as those used by 3M) were designed for tracking critical fi les and library books, applications that require a very long lifespan. Because its tags are built for these long-term applications…and because it tests its tags accordingly…3M is one of the very few tag suppliers that guarantees each tag for the life of the item to which it’s attached.
How do I encode the tag?
Putting information on an RFID tag is usually a simple, fast process. Each manufacturer has its own system. The 3M™ RFID Tracking System for fi les has three options:
• When the fi le already has a barcode: Converting from barcodes to RFID is very simple. After a blank RFID tag is adhered to the fi le, it is placed on a tracking pad. A worker scans the barcode, and that unique number is automatically entered into the software and encoded on the RFID tag. • When adding RFID capability to a fi le database: Sometimes, an offi ce has a database of fi les but no way to track fi le movements. Adding RFID capability is easy. First, the database is imported into the RFID software and blank tags are adhered to the fi les. Files can then be placed sequentially on the tracking station and encoded automatically.
• A new fi le can be added to an existing RFID-equipped offi ce by manually encoding its tag. A blank tag is adhered to the fi le, which is placed on the tracking station. As soon as the unique identifi cation number is pulled from a database or entered via keyboard, it is encoded on the tag.
RFID 201 for File Tracking… page 4
What are the risks?
As they contemplate a signifi cant investment, offi ce managers must consider the potential pitfalls. Typically, they start by researching others’ experiences with RFID. When they do, they fi nd that few system implementations experience signifi cant problems and most users fi nd the systems rewarding.
With that said, it is also true that some offi ces have a smoother implementation than others, and some users are more satisfi ed with post-implementation functionality and technical support. In most cases, problems can be avoided by taking a few simple precautions.
1. Consider only established suppliers: your system should last a decade or more, so you’ll need a supplier with that same kind of longevity. Ask for references.
2. Once you’ve decided on the best match for your needs, don’t be afraid of commitment. The most successful RFID installations result from a close working relationship between the offi ce and a single supplier that “owns” the system. Insist that the supplier assume responsibility for hardware, software, initial training and technical service. If the supplier is unwilling or unable to play this role, consider using another supplier.
3. Be attentive to system design. Because RFID systems bring immediate and dramatic improvements in productivity, staff might be tempted to overlook small defi ciencies in system design. They are willing to accept what appear to be minor annoyances in order to enjoy the benefi ts as soon as possible. This is understandable but ill-advised. In a short time, small annoyances grow large. Look around; there are affordable systems that don’t require you to compromise on effi ciency.
4. Avoid proprietary RFID tags. In the early days of RFID technology—before standardized protocols were adopted by the industry—every company came up with its own vision of what would be practical for users. Today, most tags use industry standards that will continue to be recognized as the technology evolves. Some proprietary tags remain, though. Building a new system using these proprietary tags could limit your options going forward.
Why 3M?
Offi ce managers have a responsibility to research the many RFID suppliers and compare their systems. After they do, they usually decide to work with 3M. Why?
Excellent technology. To be worth the investment, an RFID system needs to improve staff productivity. That means it must be durable, reliable and accurate—time after time after time. 3M systems are, because they are grounded in decades of research on the key technologies, from signal processing and adhesives to systems software and advanced manufacturing. We also subject our products to rigorous accelerated aging and other tests.
Excellent design. The 3M™ RFID Tracking System is intuitive, easy to use, and attractive—thanks to decades of experience designing and building similarly complex, highly integrated systems in a variety of industries. (Examples include systems for handling medical information, for manufacturing precision components for electronic devices, for the automated testing of biological materials, for high-speed packaging—the list goes on.) We’ve had decades of experience in software, electronics and mechanical engineering, and we’ve learned how to integrate that expertise with human factors and industrial design. The result is a blend of functionality and elegance that ensures high compliance with fi le-tracking procedures.
Experience. 3M has been working with RFID for over a decade. We’ve been active participants in the industry committees that have
stablished—and continue to establish—key protocols. (In fact, we are a founding member of the RFID Consortium, a group of key RFID patent holders who work together to support standards and commercialize RFID technology.) We understand technical capabilities and human factors. And we can draw on our unrivaled technology base to bring you surprising and powerful advances in RFID technology.
Unparalleled service. 3M’s service is second to none. (But don’t take our word for it; ask around.)
We’re not going anywhere. 3M has been serving its customers for over a century. Every day, offi ces around the world use our products. For some, it’s a simple Postit ® Note or a length of tape. For others, it’s a digital projector or a computer privacy screen. What they fi nd is that 3M not only maintains an unparalleled level of quality and service—we get better at it.
