RFID-equipped workcell provides complete traceability

TECO Group’s home appliances division have begun to incorporate passive ultrahigh frequency RFID tags into their air conditioners. The launch this year follows a 2 year pilot that tracked 600 tagged air conditioners through assembly, distribution and purchase. What TECO are doing is not only using RFID to track an air conditioner though its assembly and distribution to provide supply chain visibility, but also using the RFID tag to collect data once it has been purchased about how it is operating. Each tag also serves as a 'black box', storing what has happened to the air conditioner to which it is attached, in the event that the unit malfunctions, as well as sharing error code information with maintenance personnel.