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Interviewee: Dan Dalton
Designation: Director of New Product Development
Company: Fujitsu Frontech North America
The SMART Sense: Share with us Fujitsu Frontech’s involvement in the RFID realm.
Dan: The Fujitsu UHF RFID tags exemplify the Fujitsu methodology of applying its cutting-edge technologies to develop breakthrough solutions that address real world needs. Fujitsu Frontech has vast and extensive knowledge in both RFID and UHF antenna design. Combining these expertise's created an opportunity to develop the WT-A511. A UHF RFID tag that was not only rugged and reliable, but small, soft and flexible. When installed in uniforms, clothing and linens, most people will not even know there is an RFID tag present.
In today's competitive linen and garment industries, there is increasing demand for cost effective garment inventory management systems. Working with system integrators, the Fujitsu UHF RFID solutions were integrated into hotel uniforms and linens inventory management systems to meet industry demands and lower operating costs.
The SMART Sense: Tell us more about your company’s RFID offerings.
Dan: Flexible UHF RFID Tags for Commercial and Industrial Textile Applications. The soft and flexible Fujitsu UHF RFID tags are extremely durable, able to withstand hundreds of washings, the harsh chemicals associated with dry cleaning, temperatures of 250 degrees Fahrenheit for drying and 400 degrees Fahrenheit for ironing, along with the pressure of uniform pressing machines. UHF RFID systems are capable of scanning hundreds of articles simultaneously in seconds with a reading range of up to six feet. The Fujitsu UHF RFID tags represent a significant cost-saving solution compared to bar codes and other RFID systems, which require single garment processing. In addition, the Fujitsu UHF RFID tag is less than two inches long - about the size of a shirt stay. When sewn or heat sealed into garments, the small, flexible, unobtrusive tags are virtually unnoticeable.
The SMART Sense: Could you give us a rundown and the success rate of a recent deployment of your products?
Dan: The Fujitsu cost-effective, unobtrusive, reusable RFID tags enable the hotel to accurately track more than 35,000 uniforms and linens while significantly reducing operational costs. The luxurious new Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is using the new Fujitsu WT-A511 UHF-Band RFID tags to more accurately manage its inventory of 10,000 employee uniforms and 25,000 bathrobes, towels, tablecloths, sheets and other linens. The advanced tracking system enables the Fairmont Pacific Rim staff to quickly and accurately monitor its outgoing and incoming laundry while significantly reducing the costs of replacing missing items and the operational costs associated with a manual tracking process.
The SMART Sense: Who do you see would be a perfect fit as your targeted end-users that would enjoy these products to the fullest extent?
Dan: 1. Hotel /Casino industries: When dealing with an external commercial laundry facility, inevitably, items go missing. Often these items are never recovered, forcing the hotel to purchase replacements. What’s more, manual tracking processes is time-consuming, and inaccurate. The Fujitsu UHF RFID tags extend this to include housekeeping. We anticipate that the RFID will provide unmatched accuracy and efficiency, plus a significant return on investment by reducing costs.
2. Clothing and Accessories rental agencies: to have immediate tracking and inventory of all of their rental garments.
3. Healthcare, hospitality, military, etc. - In addition to having excellent durability for industrial laundries, the Fujitsu WT-A511 can survive autoclave heat sterilization.
The SMART Sense: In your opinion, with more and more RFID-inspired applications rolling out to all sorts of industries, what does the future holds for RFID technology?
Dan: UHF RFID technology is at the beginning of its deployment. In most of today's laundries, each item is sorted individually or in small groups. The expense of doing this sort is extremely high. With the Fujitsu WT-A511 UHF technology, customers can read hundreds of tags simultaneously and to have more than 6 foot reading distance. This results in significant savings to the customer and a much lower total cost of ownership.
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