There is nothing more frustrating than, after a
RFID install, to return the next day and find that the antennas and the equipment has been vandalized or sabotaged. I have had experienced not only sabotage but also interference on some of my installs. The root of the problem is that most site managers overlook the feelings of the employees that interact in the areas of install. To illustrate the point, on one occasion I was working at a distribution warehouse and one of the stock room employees was holding his a batch in front of my newly installed
RFID portal and he was asking me if I could read the information of his name batch and whether we were tracking him (that was the rumor in the facility I found out later). Other time, I received several calls because the people collecting the metrics and read rates of the
RFID read point show it was not working. I found my antenna ripped off literally. Someone had taken it out during the night shift. Then, I learned that the best remedy to avoid this situation ,was to hold a meeting prior and after the install and spend time with the people that worked in the areas: below is a list with suggestions to prevent this type of issues before you start a new
RFID install that requires accessible portals and asset tracking at entrance/exit points:
- Get to know the people on the areas and ask their manager if you could hold a quick meeting to explain the RFID install.
- Be very sensitive if the Union workers are present since there may be some tasks during the install that you will not be allowed to perform, and perhaps you will have to schedule time to get this tasks done by Union worker.
- Explain the technology, it helps them understand the difference between reading a name batch and a RFID tag
- Make sure you disseminate the information to all the workers for all shifts
- Hold a meeting after the install and do a live demo if possible
- Do not hesitate to answer any questions and remember that most do not have a RF engineering or software background.
On my experience, these simple tasks payoff in big way avoiding “accidental” events to the antennas or reader on RFID installs. It certainly has helped me to get support on site when I needed tools I forgot and even some of the people that worked on these sites, once they learned the technology, they felt proud to teach to others in a very positive the benefits of RFID to their work.
