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.
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| 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:
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| 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.
