What can RFID laundry tracking do for you?

Introduction

Whether your business involves continuous high-volume or small-scale laundry, RFID laundry tracking may be beneficial to you. From providing accurate wash count records to reducing theft and more, here are some ways RFID can help track your clothing:

1. Reduce manual laundry sorting

Hospitals, hotels, laundry facilities, or any company that owns many types of textiles have a sorting process for washing purposes. The washing process is usually carried out by 2-8 people in different washing tanks, and employees may spend hours sorting the clothes.

In the RFID laundry management system, each piece of clothing is affixed with an RFID tag. When the RFID tag passes through the assembly line, the RFID reader sends an interrogation signal and reads the tag. As each label is read, the software determines the type of textile being read and directs it to the appropriate area or machine. The software's survey results can be displayed on the screen so that people can immediately ship the textile or linen to the next destination.

Companies that currently use RFID to help eliminate manual sorting processes can significantly reduce the number of people on the sorting line. No need to hire personnel to read barcodes or identify linens, only 1-2 people can move items to the next process.

2. Provide accurate washing count records

The washing cycle of each piece of clothing is an important indicator, because the analysis of the washing cycle helps to predict the end of life of the clothing. Most linens or uniforms can only withstand a certain number of high-power washing cycles before they begin to wear and wear. Without a record of washing cycle counts, it is difficult to estimate the end of life of the garment, which makes it difficult to replace and reorder plans. 

When the clothing or linen is taken out of the washing machine, the RFID reader will detect the RFID tag sewn on the fabric. Next, the washing cycle count will be updated in the software database. When the software detects that the clothing or linen is approaching its service life, the software will prompt the user to re-order that type of clothing or linen. This process ensures that the company always has the inventory of every garment or linen it needs, thereby reducing delays in the event of loss or damage.

3. Provide inventory visibility quickly and easily

Companies that cannot understand inventory cannot accurately plan events, conduct efficient operations, or prevent items from being lost and stolen. If textiles are stolen and the company does not conduct daily inventory counts, many of them may face potential delays in daily operations due to inaccurate inventory.

The RFID tags sewn on each piece of textile help the company to take inventory faster, more efficiently, and more routinely. The RFID readers placed in each storage room will perform a continuous inventory to help accurately indicate where the sheets are lost or stolen. Using RFID to check inventory can also help companies that use offsite cleaning services. Checking the linen before leaving the facility and when returning will ensure that there is no loss during the washing process.

4. Reduce loss and theft

Currently, most companies around the world are using a single manual inventory method to try to count lost or stolen textiles. Unfortunately, employees make human errors when counting hundreds or thousands of textiles. When the count stops and the total textile count is insufficient, the next step is to try to identify the interruption location in the system. Usually, when an item is stolen, there is almost no way to find the culprit, let alone repay or return the item.

The unique EPC number on each RFID tag enables the company to accurately identify lost or stolen textiles and the location of the last query. If the bed linen or clothing is taken from a specific room in the hotel or hospital, the guest can pay for the bed linen to ensure that the company does not lose money.

5. Provide meaningful customer information

Companies renting textiles have a unique opportunity to learn about their customers through RFID tags on rented textiles. Sewing RFID tags into textiles helps to record information, such as previous renters, rent dates, and rent periods. Keeping these records can help companies understand product popularity, product history, and customer preferences.

6. Activate an accurate check-in and check-out system

Unless the company instills a simple way to maintain information such as loan dates, expiration dates, customer information, and linen information, loans or renting textiles can be complicated. The RFID system with software can provide a custom database that can not only store important information, but also alert the company when the due date is approaching. A system with this feature allows companies to communicate approximate inventory recovery dates to their customers. Providing customers with approximate rather than hypothetical return dates can improve customer relationships, which in turn can improve textile leasing by eliminating unnecessary hassle.