Three years after deploying passive 125 kHz RFID tags to track its tool usage, the Byrne Group, a British concrete substructure construction firm, has expanded its use of the system to identify users of its 16,000 assets-including tools, excavators, trailers and other heavy equipment, as well as consumables like gloves and boots-across its numerous construction projects. The company is also using the technology to manage the online ordering of those items.
By introducing RFID-enabled ID badges for about 2,000 employees, the Byrne Group can maintain an electronic record of which personnel utilize which assets. In this way, the company can prevent an unqualified employee from operating equipment for which he or she is untrained, as well as track which consumable assets have been used on a particular project, and identify workers who use too many of a specific consumable item, or that take an asset without returning it.
