RFID tags applied to raw materials, semi-finished products and finished goods give Fedrigoni real-time visibility of the status and location of every item on the factory floor.

In the fast-paced world of manufacturing, delays and errors caused by a lack of visibility and manual product tracking can bring production lines to a standstill and disrupt logistics operations. Manual processes mean taking inventory of an entire warehouse can take several days, which limits transparency of product location and compromises the speed and accuracy of shipping. RFID technology enables fast, automated inventory taking - instead of manually scanning each item, thousands of items can be inventoried in just a few minutes.

Developed by Murata ID Solutions, a leading RFID and IoT system integrator, the new RFID solution aims to accurately track raw materials, semi-finished products and finished goods during various production phases and across different production facilities. The system also aims to improve inventory counts in storage areas and logistics, as well as shipping accuracy.

Following the initial feasibility studies, the most suitable components were chosen during the final decision-making phase, and a complete RFID system was successfully implemented. Key components included Tageos’ high-quality RAIN RFID (UHF) inlays, and Murata’s innovative RFID gates, as well as the id-Bridge™ software suite, consisting of middleware and a dashboard, which was integrated with Fedrigoni’s existing management system.

Since joining the Fedrigoni Group in 2022, Tageos and Fedrigoni have enabled effective synergies between their inlay and label product lines, greatly improving operational efficiency and material handling accuracy.

In practice, RFID tags are automatically scanned as soon as the tagged products pass through the RFID gates. Product information is updated in real time on the id-Bridge™ dashboard. Any discrepancies or incorrect movements are highlighted immediately, ensuring that both on-site staff and logistics managers are kept informed. The RFID system’s Tag Direction feature automatically detects the direction in which products are moving and immediately reports when items enter or leave a specific area. This ensures that items are transported in the correct order and to the correct destination.

Paolo Battistini, COO at Fedrigoni Self-Adhesives said “Immediate and comprehensive product verification via RFID at every transition point allows us to automatically track and verify raw materials, semi-finished products and finished goods quickly, instantly and accurately as they pass through the various production stages and logistics areas at our facilities. What’s more, we can immediately detect errors in the assembly of items on pallets, thereby preventing different customers’ orders from being incorrectly assembled on a single pallet”.

The RFID solution has also enabled Fedrigoni Self-Adhesives to increase the frequency and accuracy of its inventory checks. Now, those checks can be carried out by a single person with a handheld RFID reader in just a short amount of time, highly accurate.

Thanks to RFID, the system immediately alerts users to any discrepancies. Since the shipping units are read automatically, without requiring a line-of-sight, the amount of manual work required is significantly reduced. The new system thus offers Fedrigoni a range of benefits, including:

• Real-time tracking information
• Optimized logistics processes
• Higher inventory accuracy
• Reduction of errors and operating times
• Increased shipping accuracy

By switching to modern RFID technology and utilizing real-time data and automated processes, Fedrigoni has established a solid foundation for ongoing improvements in logistics and inventory management. The installed RFID solution can easily be expanded and is continuously developed in the backend to ensure it benefits from the latest features and processes.

This change proves that the introduction of RFID is not just a system upgrade, but a fundamental improvement leading to tangible results in terms of operational excellence and increased profitability. Mission completed.