To Tag or not to Tag

Motion Software started in 2001 with the intention of supplying innovative and time saving software with a focus on usability. Our focus has always been on software but with the advent of mobile devices and smartphones, it is obvious that the migration to include hardware and tagging is logical. With this in mind, we realise that tagging is becoming an important factor which should be considered in any solution.

What is tagging?

The first step in an inspection or an audit is identification. Electronic identification technologies such as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) or barcodes can be taken advantage of to ensure quick and accurate identification of equipment. RFID is a technique which uses a radio signal to communicate with a small tag, and by extension, the item to which that tag is attached. These small tags carry a unique identity that can be read by a handheld computer and provide a way of identifying hooks, slings, hoists and other lifting gear.

But, with the vast variety of advancements in technology that businesses could be exploring, why should we worry about RFID? After all, the ideas behind it have been around since 1940’s, and it is only now becoming part of the technology mainstream, whilst more traditional methods such as barcodes have been in used successfully for decades.

Whilst the typical one-dimensional barcode method has been in use for decades now, another, more recent method which is available, and should be considered is the 2D barcode. 2D barcodes capture more information in a smaller space than 1D barcodes (typically 1000 characters compared with 20 characters on a traditional barcode). The difference between one and two dimensional barcodes is that where a traditional barcode presents a string of information as a one-dimensional line of black and white bars, a 2D barcode packs a lot more information into a grid of black and white, square-shaped dots.

RFID has typically been a very expensive method to use, and with barcoding available significantly cheaper, this has been the preferred choice. The main reason the interest in and the use of RFID is now becoming more mainstreamed is that greater standardisation of the technology has increased its usability, and allowed mass production, which in turn has driven down costs. Now that 2D barcoding is also becoming widely available, the question of which is best is open to discussion.

Should I be tagging?

The question many businesses are now facing is ‘Should I be tagging?’

Managing the movement and maintenance of lifting gear presents some big challenges. The main challenge to be faced lies in identification of equipment. Lifting gear is often used in environments which are hostile to many auto-id solutions. Equipment may be covered in oil or grease and may have to spend considerable time outside in low or high temperatures and with exposure to all kinds of weather elements. Any system which is put into place must be able to withstand such constraints. Furthermore, inspecting and certifying equipment such as cranes and containers has many more issues which must be taken into account, ranging from allocating engineer visits and complying with industry standards to compiling up-to-date analysis for a client’s senior management. With this in mind, a solution is required which can withstand the physical constraints and simultaneously improve the complications involved with the overall process.

So, what is the most practical solution to this problem?

Typically, companies use some form of tagging system. With the above problems in mind, however, the type of system required will vary dramatically from company to company.

In order to fully understand whether using a tagging system could be the most appropriate method, a company must first evaluate what problem it is they want to solve, and also keep in mind that whilst there are many advantages to be gained from using a tagging system, there are a variety of disadvantages related to each type of tag also.

Advantages and disadvantages of tagging

Whilst there are many advantages of tagging, there are also some disadvantages which should be considered. RFID tagging is very popular and highly useful in environments where it may be difficult to get a direct line of sight to the tag. This means that the RFID tag can be scanned without actually seeing it, so it could be implemented for use in areas which may be difficult to perform inspections on. This is one advantage RFID has over barcoding, since barcodes must be scanned with a direct line of sight. 2D barcodes offer a much faster scanning process than the traditional 1D barcode, but the 2D still offers no comparison to the speed of an RFID scan. Further to this, one reader is able to collect data from a large number of RFID tags, almost simultaneously, which dramatically reduces the time taken to perform an inspection, something which is not possible using barcodes. An example which had been used to explain the difference in time taken to inspect using RFID and barcodes is the idea of scanning a shopping basket. Scanning shopping through a checkout using a barcode method is something most people are familiar with. It involves taking each individual item, one at a time, and scanning them past a barcode reader. If this was to be done using an RFID system, however, it would involve something along the lines of placing the full basket onto a scanner, and having all the items scanned through within a second. The time saving qualities an RFID scanning system offer are clear to see. One disadvantage which has been highlighted in relation to this, however, is the chance that RFID tags may ‘collide’. Two types of collision are possible with RFID systems – tag collision and reader collision. Reader collision occurs when the signals from two or more readers overlap. The tag is unable to respond to simultaneous queries. Tag collision can occur when many tags are present in a small area. There is no such issue when using barcode based tagging systems, since each individual barcode is tagged one by one. Whilst scanning each item may take longer, this highlights one of the key advantages of using barcoding over RFID.

Despite the fact that the standardisation of RFID tagging has reduced in cost significantly, the price of the tags still offer no comparison to how cheap barcodes can be. This is a clear disadvantage of implementing an RFID system, however, whilst this system may be expensive to implement, it is suggested the implementation will provide a good return, due to improved work rate, reduced rate of human error etc. 2D barcodes are becoming increasingly popular in respect to the cost of implementation, since they can be produced and implemented very cheaply, and they can be printed onto a wide variety of different materials, depending on requirements.

Tagging is something that could be advantageous to any company, and there should be a focus on finding a solution that fits you. At Motion Software we are passionate about making solutions that work the way you do and would love to have a chat about how we can help you.

You can find more information about us at http://www.motionsoftware.co.uk and download our brochure at http://www.motionsoftware.co.uk/documents/motion_inspect.pdf