Confidex Offers Smarter Logistics with RFID-Enabled Metal Returnable Transit Items

Returnable transit items (RTI) are used to carry goods within the supply chain or within the manufacturing process. Roll cages, pallets, plastic crates and totes are a few examples of the different RTIs that exist. Today, automated tracking of RTIs with RFID is providing several business benefits for the RTI owners and users.
 
The Confidex Ironside Slim RFID tag has been specifically designed for identification of various types of metal RTIs. Since its launch, the Ironside Slim tags have been implemented in global RTI projects ranging in scale of 5000 pieces to more than 2,000,000 pieces.
 
In each of these projects, Confidex RFID tag is the key component linking the physical RTI asset to the further data-driven Smart Logistics and Industrial Internet applications. For gaining the benefits of the overall system, the RFID tag must be optimized for the use: only reliably performing RFID tags enable real-time, reliable authentication data of the tagged asset.
 
Based on its development with key customers, the Ironside Slim RFID tag is now further upgraded with new features. Its metal-enhanced structure allows straightforward fixing process of tags on the RTIs. This structure makes the tag installation faster and more efficient when it protects the plastic structure from the high torque during mechanical fastening with screws.
 
For more flexible use in various reader setups, the new design of Ironside Slim comes with 20% better RF performance. Customers are also able to store more data on the RFID tags due to the extended memory of the NXP UCODE 7xm IC. The tag design is also compatible with the NXP UCODE DNA IC for applications where IC level high encryption is needed.
 
“Confidex Ironside Slim tags, incorporating NXP´s latest generation of RAIN RFID ICs, UCODE 7xm and UCODE DNA, are enabling more transparent and increase process efficiency,” said Ralf Kodritsch, director segment manager RFID Solutions at NXP Semiconductors. “More user memory offers the user a lot of data programming flexibility, furthermore the possibility to authenticate the items is making sure only genuine items are used in the RTI process.”
 
“The Confidex Ironside Slim tag is designed to be essential and integrated part of a high value metal RTI. The various implementations prove its position as a reliable identification method for versatile metal RTIs such as containers, roll cages, intermediate bulk containers and many more. We see this new version makes it even easier to install an efficient RTI RFID tracking system,” added Miika Pylvänäinen, senior product manager, smart identification at Confidex.