Realizing the Full Potential of RTLS: How it Enhanced Operations Across Industries

Realizing the Full Potential of RTLS: How it Enhanced Operations Across Industries

More and more businesses are using real-time location systems (RTLS), which may be used indoors and outdoors to boost efficiency, productivity, and safety in the workplace. Real-time location systems (RTLS) precisely monitor and track assets and personnel within manufacturing facilities. RTLS can achieve pinpoint accuracy within a few centimeters depending on the environment. Technologies including Wi-Fi, Ultra-Wideband, Global Positioning System, ZigBee, Bluetooth, and active RFID can all be used to implement RTLS. In terms of accuracy, anti-interference performance, power usage, data rate, coverage, battery life, and cost, among other metrics, all can be compared and contrasted. For instance, typical GPS devices won’t provide precise location data inside industrial premises since GPS signals can’t pass through construction materials. Compared to active RFID technology, GPS devices are extremely expensive, sophisticated, and energy-hungry.

There are a variety of advantages of RTLS choices,

THE PROS OF AN RTLS SYSTEM

When RTLS is fully implemented, businesses will reap the following benefits:

Organizational Knowledge

The term “business intelligence” (BI) describes the methods and systems used within an organization to gather and examine relevant information. Data mining, process analysis, and benchmarking are part of business intelligence. As a result, manufacturing facilities can improve their performance based on Key Performance Indicators and enjoy greater visibility into their production processes (KPIs). RTLS provides real-time tracking information to business intelligence systems and enables in-depth, ongoing process evaluation.

Real-time tracking of everything from equipment to employees

Put, a real-time asset tracking system is real-time asset monitoring. Using barcode scanners at stations to move data in a feed is a common practice. To establish their location and sometimes other data, RFID tags affixed to physical assets or worn by humans transmit wireless signals to fixed reference sites (reader). The collected information is then fed into an enterprise resource planning (ERP) or manufacturing management system. In this setting, RTLS applications reveal information about the whereabouts of assets and suggest ways to enhance operations (e.g., pathway optimization).

Make the most of your resources.

Realizing the Full Potential of RTLS: How it Enhanced Operations Across Industries

Using the closest asset accessible is another perk of using an RTLS solution, which allows for more efficient usage of assets. Consider a large hospital with hundreds of patient rooms, dozens of corridors, and dozens of pieces of pricey but individually transportable equipment. Finding the next available test gadget can be challenging. When it comes to the hospital’s pharmacy and supply rooms, where products must be tallied, examined, and frequently rotated to reduce waste, an RTLS system makes inventory checks simple. To guarantee a full chain of custody for specimens from collection to delivery to the lab to testing to reporting of results, RTLS is also utilized for identification, tracking, and management of specimens.

Managing entry with intelligence

Limiting who can enter a facility and keeping tabs on how many people there are proven ways to boost security and reduce unwanted foot traffic. Furthermore, it is critical to identify each one separately at all times. The accurate location of cars and persons is essential for emergency help due to the frequently extensive regions of a site, including buildings, open spaces, tunnels, and other structures.

Added benefits consist of the following:

  • Time and Attendance Machine
  • Asset productivity monitoring
  • Equipment fuel consumption patterns
  • Monitoring of individuals for therapeutic purposes (e.g., social distance and contact tracing)
  • Preventing Theft
  • Avoiding employee and property collisions
  • Yard management systems

 WHERE DOES IT APPLY ?

Realizing the Full Potential of RTLS: How it Enhanced Operations Across Industries

An RTLS system has the potential to improve operations across all sectors. In the correct context, it can lead to lower operating expenses, bigger profits, better safety, more productive employees, easier regulation compliance, and new insights. An RTLS solution can be implemented in a wide variety of settings:

  • The purpose of asset monitoring in both manufacturing and service settings is to cut down on missing or stolen items and the time spent retrieving them.
  • Every step of the manufacturing process may be monitored for efficiency, quality, and traceability with the help of process tracking.
  • Keeping tabs on machines like forklifts helps boost productivity, streamline processes, and cut fleet expenses.
  • Yard management for a bird’s-eye view of the yard, so that material handling procedures, safety, and security may all be enhanced.
  • Monitoring workers in real time for the offshore and mining industries.
  • People identification during evacuations from offshore facilities.
  • Healthcare industry patient tracking and asset management.
  • Warehouse and supply chain management to minimize downtime in manufacturing.

With RTLS technology, inefficiencies can be detected and removed, and labor and assets can be better managed and utilized. In addition, it allows for complete oversight of all assets, which boosts availability and reduces the expense of routine upkeep. Last but not least, it regulates the entire manufacturing procedure for maximum productivity, quality, and audibility.

In summary, an RTLS solution will aid in locating, tracking, and monitoring all important resources to enhance processes and optimize workflows, allowing for rapid backtracking and comparisons in BI applications.