TECSYS extends RFID Kanban solution to multiple industries

At a Tuesday press conference, supply chain management software company TECSYS (Booth S3462) announced it is extending its radio frequency identification (RFID)-based Kanban inventory replenishment solution, already used in the healthcare market, to multiple industries looking for a way to accurately track demand at the point of use without bogging down personnel with data collection tasks.

Robert Colosino, VP of marketing for TECSYS, explained that the Kanban system is an example of an Internet of Things (IoT) type of system that allows visibility into consumption of parts or materials, so that the true demand signal gets captured and the optimal inventory level can be maintained. “If you don’t have effective capture [of inventory consumption] you’re going to have unpredictable demand,” Colosino said.

RFID Kanban Replenishment System is set up with a pre-established, demand-based quantity of products, divided between two compartments of a storage module on the Kanban shelf. When products in the first compartment are consumed, the last person to pick this product transfers the product’s identification RFID tag to TECSYS’ “smartpanel” located near the storage unit. Placing the tag on the panel triggers an automated replenishment request before critical supply levels are reached. Staff members then begin using items from the second compartment, which holds a level of inventory based on consumption within a pre-defined period of time.

By placing the product RFID tag on TECSYS’ smartpanel, the system transmits the request to the supply management application which generates a pick list for stock items or a requisition for direct purchase items to refill products to their appropriate levels.

Potential environments for the solution include maintenance, repair and operations (MRO), parts distribution, healthcare products distribution, utilities, education, municipalities and other general businesses challenges at point-of-use.
Also discussed at the press conference was ProCheck, a strategic performance and optimization consulting service that helps distribution organizations attain the higher returns on their supply chain operations while meeting their business objectives.

Through the new offering, distribution executives, along with TECSYS’ Optimization Consultants, will focus on key drivers that will jump start operational performance and establish the foundation for success. ProCheck is designed to identify baselines from which progress toward operational objectives and goals can be measured, and gaps reduced.