RFID Experts Jason Catchings, CEO of Argo Wireless, and Keith Janes, founder of KANESiD recently had a conversation on a dual-frequency RFID deployment that’s changing how equipment is tracked and managed in the field.
Why Dual-Frequency RFID Tags?
Jason Catchings: Keith, when you started designing the KANESiD dual-frequency RFID tags for the oil and gas market, what were the primary pain points you were trying to solve for these field operations?
Keith Janes: It all comes down to improving operating efficiency and accessibility. The industry wants a single, rugged RFID tag housing both UHF and NFC RFID in order to take advantage of each technology using the same physical tag. We’re basically adding NFC functionality to a UHF tag to enable scanning equipment with your smart phone in the field, warehouse and shop. This greatly reduces the cost to deploy and manage RFID hardware and opens up new automated workflows that improve safety, reduce downtime and promote compliance. At the same time, we’ve also improved the UHF scan distance in our dual frequency tags to better support fixed reader/antenna applications. For example, equipment moving in/out of yards, warehouses and customer holding bays would typically be scanned by a person carrying around a bulky mobile scanning computer. With the improved UHF scan distances and fixed reader/antenna technology we can automatically scan many assets as they move through these supply chain locations. Thus enabling faster and more efficient asset location updates and critical alerts.
Jason Catchings: Exactly. From the Argo Wireless perspective, we see companies hesitate on RFID because they think they have to outfit every single employee with specialized RFID readers. By adding that NFC (near-field communication) component that already resides in every smart phone, you’ve essentially turned every employee’s phone into a data portal.
Use Case 1: High-Value Asset Management & Maintenance
Jason Catchings: We see a lot of interest in how this applies to oil and gas asset management. How does the dual-frequency setup handle the lifecycle of high-value equipment?
Keith Janes: It’s about the transition from “where is it” to “what is its status”. For high-value equipment, the UHF side handles the track-and-trace and the check-in/out at the facility yards, warehouses and customer location bays. UHF has a longer read distance than NFC (which is under 3cm read distance using your phone). So, UHF is the obvious choice to automate applications around high volume asset movement.
However, when that asset returns for maintenance and recertification, the technician doesn’t need a long-range reader. In fact, a short scan distance is better to avoid scanning multiple assets when working with a specific serialized item. The result is more accurate logging of critical asset details.
Jason Catchings: That’s a game changer for the recertification floor. It removes the paperwork lag. You have real-time tracking within the facility via UHF, but the actual hands-on work is captured more cost effectively and accurately via NFC.
Use Case 2: Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Jason Catchings: Logistics is obviously the bread and butter of RFID, but how does the dual-frequency tag improve the supply chain from the manufacturer to the end-user?
Keith Janes: These tags enable seamless tracking from the moment a part leaves manufacturing. UHF readers at distribution centers log the movement of goods in bulk. However, the last mile of the supply chain is where things often go dark.
With these tags, when a shipment arrives at a remote point-of-delivery, a worker can perform a quick localized verification using NFC. They don’t need a warehouse-grade scanner to confirm receipt or interact with the shipment data. They just tap the tag, confirm the delivery in their app, and the system is updated globally. Another handy feature of NFC scanning with your phone is the ability to “Geo-Code” every scanning transaction. Our software partners take this data and plot “dots on a map” with appropriate alerts to assure the location of critical equipment is updated.
Use Case 3: The Rental Equipment Workflow
Jason Catchings: Renting is a massive part of the Oil and Gas industry. How does this specific tech address the challenges of rented equipment?
Keith Janes: In an equipment rental scenario, the equipment provider uses the UHF side for big-picture logistics. They need to know when the asset has left their site, arrives at the customer location and returns again to a provider site. This completes the rental cycle. Scanning UHF with either a mobile or fixed reader solution streamlines that process and brings timeliness and accuracy to the rental billing process. The service staff at the rig uses the NFC side of the RFID tag as their primary tool. They can scan with their phones to: confirm the right equipment has been delivered for the job, view on-line manuals and documentation, confirm the received equipment is up-to-date on required certifications/inspections, and even electronically re-order more of the same equipment if needed.
Jason Catchings: It eliminates the need for the rental company to provide expensive RFID hardware to their customers just so they can read UHF RFID tags. The customer uses the device they already have in their pocket.
The Bottom Line
Jason Catchings: People often ask me, “If we use NFC, do we still need the fixed readers?”
Keith Janes: You do if you want full visibility. The beauty of this dual-frequency approach is that it doesn’t force you to choose. The UHF side handles the automated logistics – knowing where the asset is on-site, while the NFC side handles the human interaction – documenting specific information on the asset.
Jason Catchings: Well said. At Argo Wireless, we’re excited to share these KANESiD solutions. It’s a pragmatic, high-ROI approach to asset management in the oilfield.
Is your field crew struggling with asset data accessibility? Argo Wireless can help you design a deployment strategy that leverages the dual-frequency power of KANESiD RFID tags.