RFID Case study: Geest Group

The Geest Group of companies has selected Intellident to supply all their fresh food production sites in the UK with RFID track and trace solutions.

 

 

Geest's business focuses on fresh foods, specialising in retailer 'own label'. Its portfolio of products is supplied from sites across Europe, including the UK, Belgium, France and Spain, as well as South Africa. Geest has re-engineered its distribution operations and centralised them in a brand new distribution centre.

 

 

The seven locations in the United Kingdom from Edinburgh to Sussex are equipped with a range of RFID equipment that encodes data to an RFID tag permanently attached to the new Marks & Spencer's metric tray. These tags supplied by Texas Instruments cost about one dollar because of extensive ruggedisation to make them last ten years in rough environments, with both physical and IDTechEx RFID Knowledgebase case studies. The passive read write tags discussed here have the capability to track and trace live production and record every tray delivery leaving the sites.

 

 

A range of RFID equipment from Portal MultiScanners to Production Line Writing equipment that encodes the tray tag with the contents and the display date ready for automated batch receipt is installed at each of the six distribution centres. This means that multiple RFID tags can be read or written to simultaneously and instantaneously as they move through the portal, enabling much faster data capture and writing.

 

 

Reading RFID tags as part of a receiving system also allows data to be captured and processed about 83 per cent faster than traditional bar code scanning according to Marks & Spencer, making warehouses much more cost effective and efficient. This allows many tags to be remotely written simultaneously and with complete accuracy as they pass through the portal on their way into the supply chain.

 

 

The software Production LineWriter has been specifically developed for high volume producers, implementing existing RFID technology into demanding environments. They can be fully integrated into conveyors, roller beds, packing/filling lines and other pick and pack processes. Individual sites have each selected equipment that integrates seamlessly into their existing warehouse systems and processes to ensure that production is not affected during the tag writing process.

 

 

Geest has implemented LXE wireless infrastructure, incorporating handheld and vehicle mounted computers, as part of a project to automate the entire fresh food supply chain from initial order to final delivery. The LXE mobile computers are integrated with Manhattan Associates' PkMS warehouse management to provide real-time data communications within the operation. This has led to improved space utilisation and more efficient use of labour. Manhattan Associates is one of the more successful providers of middleware for RFID in what is an oversupplied part of the RFID value chain.

 

Critical performance parameters

Because there is often only one day between manufacture and sell by date, order accuracy and rapid fulfilment are both critical. Incorporating bar code scanning technology for accuracy, LXE MX2 handheld and VX1 vehicle mounted computers are used for a variety of tasks. These include order picking managed with Manhattan Associates' PkMS task management functions.

 

 

Geest has demonstrated measurable benefits through the use of LXE radio frequency technology and PkMS, and is achieving 99.7 per cent service levels with Tesco following the implementation of the new systems.

 

For more information see the IDTechEx RFID Knowledgebase www.rfidbase.com .