RFID & RTLS in Healthcare - Part 2 - What Assets to Track?

A common myth in healthcare is that RTLS and RFID are only used to track the location and movement of medical equipment.  

But that neglects the fact that healthcare and life science firms have infrastructure to maintain like every other business. Hospitals, pharmaceutical firms and research labs have capital equipment that needs to be tracked and traced; IT assets; consumables and supplies; tissue samples; tools; vehicles and transportation devices.

And location is not the only thing that needs to be tracked. Since consumables and tissue samples are perishable and specialized equipment needs to be regularly calibrated, maintained and/or sterilized, updating an asset's location along with its current status helps ensure patient safety. 

The following table lists examples of assets tracked with RFID in Healthcare:

More information:
RTLS & RFID use cases in Healthcare
White paper download "RFID and RTLS in Healthcare: Myths and Realities".

WIP Transparency: One Reason Aerospace and Defense Firms Are Adopting RFID

An article in this month's issue of Manufacturing Engineering, 5 Trends Driving RFID Adoption in Aerospace and Defense, outlines why the complexity of A&D operations makes it a good fit for RFID process automation.

Sept 2013 Manufacturing Engineering Article

WIP Transparency is one of the key trends driving adoption of RFID in A&D.

End customers are increasingly requesting visibility into Work-in-Process, well before a product is scheduled for final assembly and delivery.  

With a customer facing process, there’s nothing to hide – for an aircraft manufacturer who provides custom variations (like protective options for law enforcement, or specialized avionics, there’s no component substitution. 

RFID tracking helps keep work orders on schedule, locating and pre-staging raw materials, components, tooling and conveyances prior to each process step, and providing WIP visibility to the end-customer.   

Here's a typical WIP tracking process automated with RFID:

Automating Work-in-Process Tracking with RFID

Customer-facing processes get attention from the highest levels.  Many manufacturers are justifying RFID automation with improved on-time delivery percentages and cost savings from rework, expedite fees, discounting and contract fines.

 

Getting Started with RFID Tool Tracking

Managing Tools & Equipment Across a Manufacturing Facility

There's been quite a bit of confusion in the the market on what RFID tool tracking really does, what sorts of tools can be tracked, and how automating tool tracking processes with RFID really works (especially when it involves ERP, MMS or Service & Maintenance systems).

Tracking Indirect Materials in the Field

Last month, we ran two instructional sessions on how to get started with RFID Tool Tracking.  Topics covered included:

• Planning tips (based on tool/equipment type, operating environment, maintenance schedule, contractual requirements and usable life)
• Best practices (based on customer deployments in Industrial Manufacturing, Aerospace & Defense, Oil & Gas and Life Sciences) 
• Process automation examples and scenarios with adjacent processes, incl. Work-in-Process Tracking

We covered a lot of ground in 30 minutes!  Online registration for the video recording is at: 

http://www.oatsystems.com/RFID-Tool-Tracking-Webinar/