Block On-Metal

December 19, 2013

Wrapping up a new approach to manufacturing and shipping furniture

Furniture manufacturer SC Freda tables track-and-trace issues with RFID technology.

Background
Distribution problems can easily put furniture manufacturers in a bind, as they are costly and time-consuming to fix. And when your sole customer is innovative Swedish home furnishing giant IKEA, you do not want to miss the mark. Could RFID technology help lift SC’s Freda production and shipping processes to a new level?

Challenge
Moving right along: It’s all in a day’s work for Lithuanian furniture manufacturing company SC Freda which ships around 800 tables, dressers and cabinets to various IKEA’s distribution centers every day, for a total of 10,000 pallets each month. However, the company’s dependence on manual inventory management processes increased the probability of making expensive distribution errors, such as shipping an incorrect quantity of goods to a particular location. By implementing RFID technology, SC Freda sought to improve data accuracy and usability, while enhancing critical production processes.

Solution
The new RFID system, designed by systems integrator Autepra, includes ShortDipole™ RFID tags and inlays, RF shields, a CAEN fixed RFID reader placed at the warehouse tagging location, a CAEN A948 fixed portal reader, NordicID PL300 handheld RFID readers, a forklift and trucks equipped with touch-screen computers and software from Proringas to manage RFID data and integrate it into the company’s Pragma ERP system.

RFID tags are applied to shrink-wrapped pallets, then encoded with valuable item data and time and date stamps. When orders are received, the forklift operator picks up tagged pallets, passing through the portal RFID reader before placing goods on the truck. The RFID portal reader, ERP system and computerized forklift communicate seamlessly to validate orders, catching any errors before trucks depart for their destinations. Meanwhile, production workers use handheld RFID readers and the ERP system to perform daily inventory counts, locate items, monitor storage of goods and plan item production. Software alerts notify staff when certain conditions are reached, such as production thresholds for different furniture styles, helping bring a new level of transparency and planning rigor to manufacturing operations.

Success
It’s no stretch to say that RFID technology has helped SC Freda reach a new level of production and shipping excellence. And it’s a load off production managers’ minds that the right loads are reaching their final destinations.

Related content

Looking for extra-robust tags and inlays? Smartrac's Dura products have the answer

In many brand, retail, supply chain, RTI (Returnable Transport Items) and industrial applications, RFID products face environmental stresses that challenge conventional inlays and tags but don’t justify the use of industrial-grade hard tags. Now, Smartrac has the answer: its new Dura range, and Dogbone® Dura in particular.

50 kegs, 100% reading rate: How Smartrac is improving beverage keg tracking

Beverage kegs, gas cylinders and other curved metal returnable transport items (RTI) place high and quite particular demands on RFID tags. Together with our market partner Wilms Supply Chain Technologies, Smartrac provides a solution – and proves its ability to listen to customers’ needs and provide technology innovations.

IoT and the imminent supply chain digital
transformation

As our Digital Age gathers pace and new game changing disruptors each, in their turn, emerge upon the stage, we explore the likely role that the Internet of Things (IoT) will play in global supply chain operations and consumer experiences.