Packaging

UPM RAFLATAC PARTNERS WITH INTERNATIONAL CODING TECHNOLOGIES, INC. ON RFID-ENABLED PRODUCTIVITY SOLUTION FOR THE MANUFACTURED CONCRETE INDUSTRY

Friday 15. August 2008 - International Coding Technologies, Inc. (ICT) has developed a revolutionary wireless RFID solution for the concrete industry. The solution streamlines critical production and inventory management processes and uses UPM Raflatac's Gen2 RFID tags.

The system, TrackCon, offers a complete product identification and tracking system, using a mobile computer with RFID read capabilities and a Cast-A-Code tag to provide cradle-to-grave traceability of manufactured concrete structures, including precast, prestress and architectural products. The Cast-A-Code tag features UPM Raflatac’s DogBone UHF tag and a water-tight, castable RFID inlay that affixes securely to concrete structures.

The manufactured concrete industry has historically struggled with inventory management challenges. Main issues include manually handled quality control processes, difficulties in verifying customer receipt of materials and high logistical costs due to material returns and reshipments. By serializing each structure and providing real-time data on the location of individual structures, TrackCon allows concrete manufacturers to optimize critical production and distribution processes. RFID data is used to identify and solve quality issues, ensure that the right materials are shipped to customers, automatically record the GPS coordinates of delivered materials and prepare accurate invoices.

TrackCon also enables concrete manufacturers to deliver superior service by providing customers with the critical information they need to manage inventory in large-scale building projects. In addition, it helps identify and trace concrete structures across their lifespans to maintain their structural integrity and safety.

“We believe the combination of Cast-A-Code and TrackCon will give our business the same real-time management tools other industries have enjoyed for years,” says Greg Stratis, General Manager, EF Shea.

To develop TrackCon, ICT needed to overcome technical obstacles, including creating a form that could be anchored to concrete structures and ensuring that RFID tags would read accurately through up to 12 inches of concrete. “After extensive testing, we determined that UPM Raflatac’s DogBone UHF RFID tags provided the best read rates from the furthest distances, allowing us to offer our customers a truly powerful RFID-enabled productivity solution,” says Tom Tilson, CEO, International Coding Technologies, Inc.

“UPM Raflatac is pleased to partner with ICT to develop a new system that offers innovative, leap-ahead inventory management capabilities to the manufactured concrete industry,” says Jan Svoboda, RFID Sales & Marketing Director, Americas, UPM Raflatac. “We believe that the TrackCon solution and our DogBone UHF tag provide customers with powerful insights they can use to optimize their supply chains and strengthen vital business relationships.”