Paws Pump Sees Huge Benefits from RFID

Paws Pumps has a rental fleet of 20,000 pipe slings that they not only have to manage in terms of inventory, but also manage inspection/recertifications.  RFID offers significant improvement in process for managing both.  

The company also manages other companies sling inventory.  RFID allows them to streamline this service business with improved inspection scheduling, automatic emails, and other labor saving solutions.  This level of service is a big selling point with new customers and will generate significant new revenues for the company in 2010.   This outside the box solution has also got the company thinking about customers outside of their traditional pool of oilfield customers.  

The durable metal RFID tagging solution used by Paws Pumps comes from Holland 1916 Inc. a full service product identification company located in North Kansas City MO.

What Is Durable? How About a Metal RFID Tag That Can Withstand Fire?

 This RFID Tag was burned in the field during actual use.  Even after sustaining fire damage, the tag was readable.  Now, that is a durable design.

Pipelines and RFID

Pipeline owners should consider implementing a rugged RFID solution on their pipelines.  Due to the requirements of 49 CFR Part 192 Pipeline Safety: Standards for Increasing the Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure for Gas Transmission Pipelines; Final Rule frequent inspections are required to ensure pipeline safety.  What better way than RFID to perform, improve and document those inspections?

September RFID-Monthly Provides a Good Sampling of Some Current RFID Projects

It is good to see the growth in RFID applications.  Unfortunately, most commentators ignore the opportunity for industrial RFID applications.  http://www.rfid-monthly.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/rfid-monthly-september-2009.pdf

RFID is Like Arms Control

Former President Ronald Reagan, frequently made an interesting and wise comment when speaking to his Soviet counterpart.  Often the comment regarded US’s requests to have site visits of Soviet missile installations in order to check on compliance with the arms control treaties between the two nations.  In response to the Soviet assertion that the US should trust the Soviets at their word, President Reagan replied, “Trust, but verify.”

“Trust, but verify” is an interesting benefit of RFID enabled tags.  They allow companies to verify that inspections have taken place.  It no longer becomes a matter of trust or relying upon someone’s word or memory.  Instead, it becomes a matter of compliance verification.

Anatomy of an RFID Bolt

RFID BOLT – RFIDCHIP-003 Rev0 Specification

RFID- enabled bolts are a great solution to ensure safety and compliance when bolt tension is a critical safety element.  See the link above for specifications.

 

Durable RFID Chips Continued

Durability.  Wikipedia defines durability as the “ability to endure.”  The question becomes: Endure what?  Industrial environments are rife with hazards for an RFID chip.  Heat, cold, moisture, harsh chemicals, abrasive conditions and direct impact from sharp or heavy objects are just a few hazards that are common in industrial environments. 

What are the hazards that your RFID chip must endure?  What chips offer those characteristics?

Some chips are immediately out of the running because they are not designed for outdoor or even lengthy use.  Most outdoor chips are fully or partially encapsulated in a tag.  Tags can vary between flexible, non-paper-based substrates, to plastic enclosures and to milled metal pockets that provide 3 sided protection.  Each tagging method has strengths and weaknesses based upon the hazard the tag has to endure.  Usually as the level of protection increases, the read range shrinks.   The correlation between price and protection is not as exact and is greatly impacted by choice of RFID chip.

A Durable RFID Chip?

Is plastic on metal durable?  Is a chip that sits proud of the surface durable?  Is a chip that is fastened with an adhesive durable?  Will a zip tie be sufficiently durable attachment mechanism? 

Durability is an important question.  This question, like most questions involving the development of an RFID solution, depends upon the application.  Many chips on the market are advertised as durable.  Since the definition of durability depends upon you application, do not take a chip or tag makers description as gospel.  Please do your own homework.  More on this topic tomorrow.

RFID Software from N4 is Designed for Industrial Inspection Applications

Field ID Inspector is the industry leading inspection system.  Change the way you conduct and manage your inspections!  Field ID Inspector was developed specifically for businesses that provide inspection services to end users.  Field ID Inspectoris a fully web-based system that combines mobile computers and supports advanced product identification using RFID.  Field ID Inspector also integrates with your current enterprise level software to allow for next-level efficiency and traceability.

Field ID Inspector changes the way traditional inspections are done.  Field ID Inspector has been designed to accommodate small business with one inspector to organizations with hundreds of inspectors.  Whatever your needs, Field ID Inspector can accommodate them.

Benefits

One-Click Inspections

One-Click Inspections represents ease of use and simplicity.  When you are in the field, you have little time to worry about cumbersome keyboard entry.  Quick, fast and efficient, with our One-Click Inspection technology everything you do is accomplished with a few clicks.

Easy Identification Using RFID

RFID is changing the lifting and rigging industry.   Don’t be left behind!  Field ID uses the power of RFID to quickly identify your lifting products in a second, error free.  RFID is rugged and can withstand the most demanding environments.  See how RFID can change the way you conduct your field inspections.

No More Messy Paperwork

Messy paperwork is a thing of the past.  Field ID totally eliminates the traditional clipboard and pencil approach to doing inspections.  Rid yourself of cumbersome paper based reports using our easy to use Mobile Inspection Units and the power of the Internet.

Save On Direct Labor Costs

Efficiency and productivity is the focus of Field ID.  Removing redundant work and taking out manual data entry is what Field ID excels at.  There is no painful uploading or syncing between our Mobile Inspection Unit and your data – everything is done automatically!  Field ID interacts with your enterprise systems to provide unparallel ease of use and cross-system efficiency.

End Users Love It!

Instantly give your end users access to their inspection records online!  End users love Field ID and the ability it gives them to track and view inspections 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  With the ability to give end users as little or as much power as you want, Field ID gives your end users instant access to all their inspection records in one spot.  Stand out from the rest of the crowd, your end users will be delighted by the ease of use and simplification you have brought to their facility.

http://www.n4systems.com/

HF vs. UHF for Asset Inspection Applications

RFID solutions should be individually tailored.  There is no one size fits all.

Certain asset inspections require the inspector to be in close proximity to the asset in order to conduct a visual or physical inspection.  For these assets, RFID tag read range is a major issue, but not in the traditional sense.  For these types of assets, read range should be short in order to ensure that the inspector does his job.  For instance, if an RFID enabled is located in the air and requires the operator to climb a ladder to physically inspect the asset, then you do not want a long read range because you want to ensure the operator actually does the inspections.  If the asset has a long read range the operator could be lazy and read the tag from the ground and fail to conduct a thorough inspection.  

For smaller assets or assets that have minimal space for an RFID chip, HF chips are a better alternative because they tend to have a smaller footprint.

For less expensive assets or where price is a major factor, HF chips offer a more affordable option.  RFID can already be an expensive solution and that can be an impediment to adoption.  One should not add unnecessary costs and barriers to RFID solutions.