In any business, material values are recorded. The larger the enterprise, the more difficult it is to keep records. To date, three types of accounting are known: manual, semi -automatic and automatic.
Manual accounting is an elementary calculation of existing goods and other values, which cannot be performed without human participation. Often markers and designations, license plates are applied to objects, tags are hung – for the most convenient accounting.
Semi -automatic accounting involves the use of special devices – these are barcode scanners. The codes applied to the goods are read using a device such as the data collection terminal. The accounting process is accelerated, but there are some disadvantages of this type. So, it is necessary to initially fill the database with correct barcodes; It is important that a person working with equipment does not make mistakes himself. Despite a lot of amenities, to achieve complete automatic accounting, using only thermal printers and scanners of the barcode, it is impossible.
To date, there is the possibility of transferring enterprises to a fully automatic accounting system, in which human intervention is practically not required. We are talking about RFI – identification of objects using radio waves.
To find out how much and what items are located on the pallet, you do not need to bring a scanner to each product unit. Radio waves at the minimum time “scan” all objects placed on the pallet and transmit data about their type and quantity to the terminal. The pallet does not need to somehow be specially deployed or installed, it is only important that it just falls into the radius of the radio antenna of the radio receiver.
Of course, such a system has its own tags that are applied to the product. At the same time, the “lifespan” of the marks can vary from a couple of days to several years. The advantages of the RFI system are that it becomes possible to minimize manual labor, to speed up the accounting process. In addition, the system has found application in the automotive industry. At one of the concerns, robots are painted by cars using the radio meter applied to the car itself to determine the desired tone of the car and on the tank with paints.
But there are shortcomings that are due to which in many industries (for example, when accounting for food), thermal transfers and codes are still used. According to analysts, all these systems will coexist peacefully for a long time, and each of them will have its own consumer.