How is RFID used in archives and library management?

RFID upgrades traditional barcode management to contactless batch operations. Each book or file is tagged with an HF RFID tag, paired with Fuen's desktop readers and gate portals for self-service borrowing, rapid inventory and anti-theft alerts. Fuen provided an RFID solution for a popular smart academy, achieving full intelligent library management with 20x inventory efficiency improvement.

Industry Applications

Deep into eight industry scenarios, providing end-to-end RFID solutions

RFID-Based Full Lifecycle Management Solution for Power Grid Assets

I. Background

Power grid companies have put forward specific management requirements for full lifecycle management of assets, carried out the linkage correspondence among PMS, PM, and AM data of existing assets, and incorporated the results into the 'Asset Full Lifecycle Management Integrated Platform' for indicator assessment. However, asset changes still lead to declining data quality. If new management methods are not adopted, the earlier linkage results cannot be effectively consolidated. Therefore, it is necessary to apply new technologies to asset lifecycle management, enabling timely transmission and feedback of asset change information, closely linking business at all stages with 'on-site physical objects', and forming horizontal and vertical closed loops.

II. Solution Objectives

By establishing a physical identification system for equipment and integrating the physical flow, information flow, and value flow of assets, the goal is to achieve 'permanent linkage consistency among accounts, cards, and objects' and sharing of information across all stages. State Grid and China Southern Power Grid are actively conducting research and application of RFID technology in asset management, smart warehouse management, and other systems. However, there is no standard model for RFID in the full lifecycle tracking management of power grid assets, and a systematic reference basis is lacking.

This solution enables precise management of the equipment lifecycle, with dynamic tracking through daily operation and maintenance of physical identification data, eliminating management difficulties, blind spots, and obstacles, and achieving precise positioning management.

III. Solution Overview

This solution is tailored by FineJoin after analyzing enterprise needs, integrating RFID technology, network technology, computer technology, database technology, and wireless communication technology. The solution manages RFID devices, exchanges data with systems such as PMS and SAP, performs comparison and analysis of account-card-object consistency, generates management reports, uploads and downloads business data with RFID handheld terminals, and carries out daily dynamic management of physical identification.

IV. System Design

1. Selection of Collection Equipment

The application of RFID technology in power grid asset tracking management requires extensive use of handheld collection terminals. When operating in an electromagnetic field environment, the following factors must be considered:

Anti-interference factors:Transformer equipment operation generates power frequency electric and magnetic fields, which are low-frequency inductive field interference. The selection of handheld terminals must consider the electromagnetic shielding design of the reader.

Read/Write Distance:Power grid physical identification is typically installed on the grounding flat steel of equipment bases, at a certain height above the ground. The read/write distance has significant implications for reducing the walking distance of inspection personnel, reducing work intensity, and improving efficiency.

Handheld Device Battery Life:Substations above 220kV have large areas, numerous equipment, and long identification installation times. The handheld device battery must have a long endurance and can automatically save data upon power loss.

2. Physical Identification Performance

RFID physical identification offers advantages such as waterproofing, magnetic resistance, high temperature resistance, long service life, long read distance, data encryption, large data storage capacity, and modifiable stored information. It primarily uses ISO18000-6C metal tags. The following must be considered during design:

Read/Write Distance:In the UHF electromagnetic environment of substations, metal surfaces shield electromagnetic waves. After the tag is attached to the grounding flat steel, the signal significantly attenuates, and the 'read/write distance will decrease by 50% to 70%'. This issue must be addressed in the tag shell design, encapsulation, and attachment materials.

UV Resistance:The packaging shells of UHF passive electronic tags are commonly made of ABS material, which tends to fade over time when exposed to wind and sun in substations. Therefore, the addition of UV-resistant materials must be considered.

Anti-collision Mechanism:Substations have a large number of equipment, so tag design must consider anti-collision algorithms to achieve batch, fast, and accurate reading of multiple tags.

3. Standardization of Tagging Specifications

Tagging specifications clearly define the installation locations for each type of equipment. The formulation should consider factors such as the characteristics of outdoor/indoor equipment, the read/write distance and angle between handheld devices and tags. Currently, passive metal electronic tags are primarily used for RFID in substations, but it is not yet practical to install them directly on outdoor current transformers, voltage transformers, lightning arresters, and other equipment bodies — 'tag information beyond 2m cannot be read'.

4. Physical Identification Middleware and System Integration

The RFID middleware system for power grid companies is commonly developed based on a SOA architecture pattern, integrating API interfaces provided by RFID reader manufacturers into the middleware system. The middleware can monitor the operation of RFID devices and facilitate data interfaces and exchange with systems such as ERP.

The RFID middleware system and on-site collection devices collect physical identification data, and through interfaces, feedback physical information to the asset full lifecycle management evaluation and decision system, achieving a true vertical closed loop of account-card-object consistency.

5. Physical Identification Data Storage and Data Security

ISO18000-6C standard electronic tags are mature, stable, widely used, have globally unique ID numbers and support simultaneous reading of multiple tags. They can store 1024b or 2048b data, with a read speed of 40kb/s. The information stored in the tag must consider the data exchange between handheld devices and the backend during on-site operation and maintenance — given the stability issues of GPRS communication transmission, it cannot be guaranteed that backend data can be obtained smoothly at any time.

6. Data Transmission Security

Power grid companies employ strict isolation measures for external mobile storage devices or mobile transmission methods to prevent data risks. This makes it difficult to timely upload collected information from handheld devices, and business documents in the middleware system cannot be conveniently uploaded to handheld terminals. Multiple conversions via secure USB drives are required. Such overly cumbersome operations may affect the enthusiasm of asset management personnel in applying RFID technology, so data transmission and security issues must be fundamentally resolved.

7. Tagging Granularity

Power grid companies have already carried out synchronization of PMS and SAP PM module equipment, including primary and secondary equipment synchronization, currently only for major equipment. Tagging based on PMS system data has the finest granularity and the largest workload, but during the tagging process, the quality of PMS and PM synchronization and AM linkage can be checked, which has a positive effect on improving the consistency rate of accounts (PM), cards (AM), and objects (RFID physical tags).

V. System Operation Flow

1. Tagging Business After Equipment Enters Warehouse

After equipment procurement and warehousing, for materials whose material codes have already established linkage with equipment types and asset categories, physical tags can be attached in advance. Managers generate a 'Physical Tagging Business Order' in the middleware system based on the synchronized SAP MM module warehousing information, use an RFID reader to write material codes and equipment types into the physical tag, and attach it to the corresponding material with double-sided tape.

After the equipment is successfully stored, the tag status for newly stored equipment is 'Accepted'

For equipment returned to the warehouse after technical upgrades, repairs, or changes, the tag status is 'Removed Pending'

2. Tagging Business for Materials Directly Sent to Site

Most power grid equipment is delivered directly by manufacturers to construction sites. Staff issue a 'Physical Tagging Task Order' in the RFID middleware system, notifying on-site managers to download the task order via RFID handheld terminals, accept the on-site materials, and perform tag attachment.

If the on-site equipment does not match the task order list information, the system provides an alarm prompt

After the physical tag is installed, the tag status is automatically updated to 'Under Construction'

3. Tag Information Completion After Completion and Commissioning

After the construction project is completed and commissioned, relevant equipment information and dispatch names are entered into the PMS system. After the RFID middleware collects information from the PMS system, staff issue a 'Equipment Commissioning Tag Information Maintenance Order', notifying to download the task order to the handheld terminal, and then complete or change the information in the attached tag on site.

On-site equipment tag information can be completed (e.g., equipment dispatch name)

If the on-site equipment does not match the task order list information, the system provides an alarm prompt

After tag information maintenance, the tag status automatically changes to 'In Service'

4. Tag Management Business for Technical Upgrades and Overhauls

If equipment is added in a substation due to technical upgrades, tags need to be attached, and after major repairs or routine maintenance, tag information needs to be updated. Staff create a 'Tag Installation and Information Maintenance Task Order' in the RFID middleware system, and download the task order via handheld RFID reader terminal.

Tag new equipment

For decommissioned equipment, the handheld terminal changes the tag status to 'Decommissioned'

For removed equipment, the handheld terminal changes the tag status to 'Removed Pending'

For overhauled equipment, the handheld terminal changes the device-related information in the tag

For equipment after routine maintenance, input maintenance information in the handheld terminal and upload to the RFID middleware system

5. Business Implemented by RFID Handheld Terminal

The RFID handheld terminal system interfaces with the RFID middleware, downloading tasks such as asset addition, scrapping, and inventory to the handheld terminal, and uploading results after collection. The handheld device can also independently perform daily inspection of equipment tags.

#### 5.1 Daily Tag Operation and Maintenance Business

Power grid equipment operation teams regularly carry out daily tag scanning tasks to verify that the tag information matches the on-site equipment information.

Automatically identify the inspected equipment, compare with the RFID inspection task list equipment list, and display current equipment attribute parameters and historical status information

After scanning, change the equipment status to 'Verified' via the reader; for equipment with issues, change the status to 'Pending Verification'

#### 5.2 Asset Inventory and Check Business

The previous 'paper inventory mode' had drawbacks such as duplicate data entry, missed or repeated equipment checks, lack of process control, high labor intensity, and superficial checks. Using tag inventory allows full monitoring of the inventory process, avoiding the drawbacks of manual checks, shortening inventory time, and improving inventory quality.

Download inventory tasks via the RFID middleware, start inventory after the handheld terminal downloads the inventory task order, and record any issues discovered in the handheld terminal.

VI. Main Equipment Deployment

1. UHF Anti-Metal Electronic Tag

The UT503 UHF plastic shell tag is suitable for attaching to metal surfaces and working normally. It uses an ABS plastic shell with ultrasonic welding encapsulation, has good waterproof characteristics, an IP65 protection rating, and a specially designed anti-metal inlay internal antenna that can be fixed to metal surfaces. The read distance can reach 8 meters, and it is low-cost, widely applicable to pallet management, shelf management, asset management, etc.

2. FN M11 UHF Handheld Terminal

The FN M11 is a rugged, multi-functional industrial-grade mobile data collection terminal. It combines data collection modules such as RFID identification, 1D/2D barcode scanning, fingerprint collection, image collection, GPS information, etc., with wireless communication technologies such as 4G full Netcom, WiFi, Bluetooth, and 433MHz. It can collect various data anytime and anywhere and interact with the backend server in real-time via wireless communication, meeting various mobile operation needs.

Automatic asset information management solution for mobile engineering vehicle tools based on RFID technology

Innovative Application of FineJoin RFID Technology in Fiber Optic Digital Transformation

FAQ

In smart manufacturing, RFID is used for process tracking, tool management and production error-proofing. Fuen's HF and LF industrial readers are installed at production stations to read tags on trays and carriers in real time, automatically recording process steps and verifying parameters to prevent wrong material or sequence. Typical applications include PV ingot factory process management, automotive body tracking and non-standard automated inspection lines.

RFID enables automatic inbound registration, outbound verification and real-time inventory. Fuen's UHF readers with gate portals (G15) batch-read tags as goods pass through without individual scanning. Combined with forklift retrofit solutions, location updates are completed during handling. Fuen has successfully implemented forklift RFID retrofit projects for Shen International Logistics Port, improving inbound efficiency by over 60%.

RFID upgrades manual one-by-one verification to batch automatic inventory, significantly reducing missed inspection rates and labor costs. Fuen's mobile engineering vehicle tool management solution uses handheld terminals for full-vehicle inventory in one scan — 10 seconds versus 1 hour manually. In power grid asset lifecycle management, RFID tags attached to equipment enable full-process tracking from procurement to deployment to retirement.

RFID anti-counterfeiting uses encrypted electronic tags on products combined with backend databases for item-level full-chain traceability. Fuen's fragile anti-transfer tag (UT203) is destroyed once removed, preventing tag reuse. Typical applications include live pig supply chain tracing and pharmaceutical anti-counterfeiting systems, providing full visibility from production through distribution to end consumption.

RFID enables rapid receiving, smart inventory and anti-theft management in chain retail. Handheld terminals batch-scan inbound goods, completing full-store inventory in minutes. Fuen's clothing store solution combines HF tags and UHF handhelds for full-chain visibility from distribution center to store shelf, improving inventory accuracy to over 99%.

RFID in smart cities mainly applies to vehicle management and public safety. Fuen's intelligent vehicle positioning and speed measurement system uses active tags for long-range identification and speed detection; e-bike anti-theft solutions track tagged vehicles via intersection readers for rapid recovery; parking management enables non-stop passage and automatic billing. These solutions are deployed in multiple cities.