RFID Labeling isn’t new, but it never surprises us when folks aren’t quite sure how it could benefit their operations. It takes coordination between IT, inventory personnel, operations, and buyers to determine how best to implement an RFID project due to factors like hardware, ERP systems, item skus, quantities, material handling, etc. Whether it is a lack of project coordinators to get the project going to a misaligned view of the actual power of RFID labeling: we get it, and we are here to help unpack it.

RFID works on radio frequencies between a tag and a scanning device. Tags come in two forms: passive tags for short range and battery-enabled active tags for long-range. When looking closely at the tags you’ll see an antenna, chip and substrate as a part of each tag. Antennas come with two polarization options: linear polarization vs circular polarization. The polarization option chosen partly depends on what type of product is being tagged and how the tag is being placed.

We work with multiple manufacturers of RFID labeling systems and other warehouse supplies, which can help increase your efficiency by decreasing inventory errors and more. We put together this quick little quiz so you can test your knowledge and start asking your own company: How can RFID labeling work for us? Check it out!

Take the RFID Labeling Quiz

How did you do on the quiz? Let’s break down some additional interesting facts about RFID labels which can help define what kind of labels will work for you and the types of questions you should be asking when researching.

RFID tags come in multiple frequencies which can determine the efficiency of the tag:

• LF (125–134 kHz): Short range, good near metal/liquids (animal tracking).
• HF/NFC (13.56 MHz): Medium range, good for item-level retail.
• UHF (860–960 MHz): Long range, fast reads, ideal for manufacturing & e-commerce.

Understanding the type of tag you choose and frequency will determine the read range and accuracy as both factors directly impact usability. RFID can give you real-time visibility into your inventory without constant cycle counts, but there are some additional factors to consider which heavily relies on the correct tag type. Additional factors to consider for tag types before discussing the overall pros and cons of RFID labeling include:

• Antenna Design / Inlay Type
• Size of the overall tag
• Memory Type (EPC/TID/User Memory)
• Adhesive type and face material type
• On-metal vs off-metal tags

Let’s break down some pros and cons of RFID labeling.

Pros and Cons of RFID Labeling

Pros to RFID Labeling

• Labor Reduction by 15-50%: RFID labels can replace manual bar scans, cycle counts, line-searching and dock validation.
• Improved Accuracy: Unlike barcodes, RFID does not require line of site so companies decrease user errors, miss-ships, and putaway errors.
• Reduction in Bottlenecks: Your operation has bottlenecks and scanning items doesn’t need to be one of them with RFID technology which can increase throughput by instantly reading item skus.

Cons to RFID Labeling

• Modern technology now allows for RFID tags on liquids and metals, but because it is based on radio frequencies there are still major considerations when working with certain materials.
• The hardware and IT set-up can be extensive and doesn’t just sit on top of a barcode system – your IT and ERP provider will be heavily involved with any type of implementation / roadmap planning.
• Overall warehouse environments can impact tags like extreme temperatures, moisture in the air, floor vibrations and electrostatic conditions. These factors should be considered early on in the process when discussing options.

The road to becoming your company’s RFID Expert

We discussed some of the main components of RFID considerations, but there is additional technical understandings of RFID that a professional labeling partner can help walk your IT and Operations teams through to fully understand what is possible when converting from standard barcodes to RFID labels. To get there here are some additional ideas to help you breakdown the project and guide your understanding of RFID labeling:

• Tag cost vs. labor savings: Pricing has gone down significantly but there is still a higher cost than barcode labels.
• Error reduction impacts and inventory accuracy improvements
• Faster throughput for tricky inventory bottlenecks
• Customer compliance risk reduction: Big store names like Walmart and Nordstrom require RFID labeling and also the Department of Defense. Your partners (who sells to you if applicable and who you sell to) will directly impact your decision.

Ready to dive in? Talk with one of our in-house Packaging Specialists. They will work with you and our expert label manufacturing partners to work through the full RFID checklist and coordinate the project from start to finish!