Active Shelf System

RFID Tracking for Retail Inventories

Barcoding's Active Shelf System:
Winner of the Innovator of The Year
Award from the Daily Record

Barcoding Inc.’s Active Shelf inventory tracking system is an affordable method of conducting continuous inventory counts in retail stores, stockrooms, pharmacies, libraries, and warehouses. It allows automated tracking of assets in libraries, document storage facilities, and data tape archives.

The assets that can be traced are those items that can be stored on-end on a shelf, and that lend themselves to RFID tagging, such as books, data tapes, and document binders. A single RDID reader is combined with a multitude of antennas which are placed within the shelving units to create inventory zones, which are continuously updated and monitored.

• How it works
• Reports
• Benefits
• Example Installation

How it works

The RFID Enabled Active Shelf System works by placing RFID antennas within each shelf to monitor signals from UHF Gen 2 tags placed on each product. The antennas send information through our hybrid multiplexer which then transmits the data to a central RFID reader. This reader is connected to your database via a hard-wired connection or wireless infrastructure. Inventory levels are then available through a web interface or an XML feed from the system.

When an RFID scan is initiated, all shelves in the system are read sequentially, and the software generates a list of unique asset tag numbers read. The system then queries the asset database to retrieve detail information pertaining to each corresponding asset, and displays a paged list of base asset information such as tag ID and description/title.

When asset ID tags are read, the following data can be displayed:

• Asset is present in correct location on shelf – tag # appears in normal font/color.
  
• Asset is present, but in wrong location – tag # appears in purple and gives location of asset.
  
• Asset is missing from inventory but not checked out – tag # appears in red.
  
• Asset is checked out of inventory – tag # appears in green.
  
• Asset has been recently returned to inventory – tag # appears in yellow.
  

The RFID Active Shelf can be set-up to read either High-Frequency (HF) or Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) RFID tags.  As RFID standards evolve, your investment in the system is protected because you can switch to different frequencies and tag formats.

Reports

The system allows an administrator to generate the following possible reports:

• Inventory/Location Report
  
• In-Stock (checked in) current snapshot
  
• Checked in over a specific time period
  
• Checked out snapshot
  
• Checked out over a specific time period
  
• Overdue assets
  
• Misplaced Items (not checked out, not at designated location, but appearing in another location)
  
• Missing items (not checked out, not appearing at any RFID location)
  
• List of all assets with current location/status (checked in or out)
  
• List of all users and their last activity
  
• Asset activity report over specified time period
  

Benefits

• Automated tracking of item-level inventory and asset locations, eliminating manual counting of assets and improving accuracy of records.
  
• Reduces labor costs by automating the inventory process.
  
• Increases customer satisfaction by providing up-to-date information on asset availability and location.
  
• Increases security for sensitive assets by automating access control and alerts.
  

Example Installation of Active Shelfin a retail environment

Retail clothing stores often have issues with items not being placed in their proper location. Misplaced items result in many hours of lost productivity each day when sales people have to look for product.  Even worse, you risk lost sales when customers cannot find a particular item in a certain size.  By implementing an Active Shelf system, each item is tracked, so your sales staff know if you have a shirt of a in a certain size somewhere in the store, and where it is. This will help turn-over your inventory more rapidly as well as improve customer service by allowing your staff to serve each customer more efficiently and help them find what they need in less time.

To learn more about the benefits of Active Shelf, please contact Barcoding Inc.

Call Now: 888.412.7226

Receive FREE support for 30 days on all purchases.

Contact us for a complimentary evaluation of your needs. Our sales team will answer all your questions about inventory control and automatic data collection.