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Applications in the agriculture industry are time-sensitive operations that require coordination between all parties to obtain the maximum yield from each harvest. Consequently, Intelleflex has recently announced an RFID-based installation for John Taylor Fertilizers Company.
With the new RFID solution, John Taylor is now able to automatically track equipment inventory in real-time using RFID tags, including the time at which equipment leaves the yard, the location to which it is delivered, when it is returned to the yard, and how often it is used.
A need for tracking
In conjunction with its solutions partner, InCom Corporation, Intelliflex provided an automated tracking system for agricultural equipment at the fertilizer seller's Yuba City, California, location.
Before implementing the system, John Taylor found it difficult to track what equipment was in the yard, what was out at customer sites and how often the various pieces of equipment were used. This resulted in under-used assets, delayed customer response times, and unnecessary purchases of new equipment.
The logistics problem
John Taylor provides agricultural chemicals and fertilizers to growers throughout California. The chemicals and fertilizers are distributed using various pieces of equipment such as sprayers, conveyors and dispensers, which are stored and managed in equipment yards.
Using a solution called OnSite, which was developed by InCom based on the Intelleflex RFID platform, John Taylor is now able to automatically track equipment inventory in real-time: the time the equipment leaves the yard, the location to which it is delivered, when it is returned to the yard, and how often it is used.
Challenges and benefits
According to Craig Niesen, service manager for John Taylor Fertilizers, "OnSite allows us to account for the usage of each piece of equipment, allowing more effective equipment purchase planning and an accurate calculation of return on our related investments."
"Like many outdoor locations, the yards at John Taylor presented formidable challenges for the deployment of RFID systems. These included exposure to the elements, reading around metallic equipment, long read/write ranges, and constant physical handling," explained Craig Kavanaugh, senior director for the Western US at Intelleflex.
Sources: Intelleflex Corporation; InCom Corporation; John Taylor Fertilizers Company
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