1. Project Overview

The Company is implementing an RFID-based tracking solution to improve the tracking and management of trolleys used in the Paint Shop and Assembly Line processes. Currently, the unavailability and mismanagement of trolleys lead to production disruptions, part damages, and inefficiencies.

This document outlines the business case, challenges, proposed solution, and the system architecture options for effective trolley tracking.

2. Current Challenges

• Insufficient number of trolleys available in the paint shop.
• Delays in the return of empty trolleys result in painted parts being placed on the ground, causing scratches and damage.
• Double loading of parts into trolleys due to lack of tracking.
• Congestion and excessive storage of loaded trolleys in the mezzanine area.
• Disruption in production flow due to trolley shortages or misplacement.

3. Project Objectives

• Track trolleys using RFID across all movement points within the paint shop, mezzanine, and assembly areas.
• Provide real-time visibility on trolley availability and location.
• Enable alerts for trolley shortfalls.
• Enable handheld reader usage for rework tracking or manual quantity verification.
• Reduce part damage and production delays due to untracked trolleys.

4. Proposed RFID-Based Solution

Each trolley will be tagged with a durable RFID tag. RFID readers and antennas will be installed at key locations such as:

• Entry and exit points of paint shops
• Conveyor loading/unloading points
• Entry/exit of mezzanine and assembly areas
• Display screens at paint shop and assembly areas for real-time status
• Cameras installed at exits to detect missing or less-loaded items
• Handheld RFID readers for search, rework, or manual updates as needed

5. System Architecture Options

Integration with Handheld Readers (HHT)

• Default trolley part count is assumed full.
• Any difference is manually recorded using handheld RFID readers.
• Handhelds are also used for trolleys meant for rework or exception handling.

• Fixed RFID readers installed at all key locations.
• Middleware: Vicinity Edgeware to interface with backend ERP.
• Wi-Fi/LAN infrastructure for real-time data synchronization.

6. Key Benefits

• Real-time location tracking of all trolleys.
• Reduction in misplaced or idle trolleys.
• Avoidance of production delays and part damage.
• Improved visibility across operations through display screens.
• Accurate reconciliation of loaded vs empty trolley movements.
• Support for manual overrides and rework tracking.

7. Next Steps

• • Finalize architecture option based on operational needs.
  • Deploy pilot implementation at paint shop and mezzanine area.
  • Integrate with ERP and evaluate reporting/dashboard needs.

• Plan phased full-scale rollout upon pilot success.