By using RFID technology (UHF), a new way to manage inventory of automotive parts was created.

The PARTS.iD project was developed in accordance to the EPCglobal optical standard.

Project Goals

1. Identification and tracking of spare parts
2. Increase of service quality
3. Reduction of the percentage of error
4. Parts traceability throughout the entire supplier-dealer chain
5. Certification of original spare parts

Project Description

The main project activity consisted in developing a software layer (middleware) capable of managing integration between RFID hardware and the warehouse application.
The warehouse management application has not been modified as much; the only development of the warehouse system consisted in realizing a dispatcher responsible for processing middleware requests.
As a middleware, Windows 2003 server Apache and MySQL database were used; a web-oriented application was developed in Php / Java.
In order to make RFID application usable in different situations, all the data for parts identification and traceability are stored in the middleware layer, not in the warehouse storage system.

Warehouse processes

Goods Receipt (inflow)

At this stage, the operation of the particular coupling and RFID tag is being introduced.
To uniquely identify all the materials that comes into the warehouse, special tags to assign to each material are printed / programmed at the warehouse entrance.
Then the material is loaded on a troop-train and taken to storage areas.
The passage of the material through goods receipt area and its storage is performed by the RFID portal that keeps under control the process accuracy in real time.

Withdrawal and packaging

The activities of retrieval and packing are combined together, the procedure of package card printing is automated and no manual data is inputted.
The withdrawal procedure becomes paperless: the operator picks up pieces from the warehouse in accordance to the instructions displayed on the palmtop computer.
The retrieved package is brought to the scales furnished with RFID detector that automatically identifies each item and performs an accuracy check.

The system associates the item to the client’s order, weighs the item and ensures consistency with the theoretical weigh, prints the package label next.

Shipping

Introduction of RFID technology into the shipping phase does not introduce any essential procedural change to a current operation workflow. In front of the docks, special gates, that identify packages loaded on trucks, are installed.

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