Barcodes on steroids

The construction industry remains largely unaware of the potential of RFID technology says Michael Gelskey, owner of sling manufacturer Lift-It and distributor of web-based RFID management firm InfoChip.

"At a recent sling and rigging seminar with fifty members of the Associated General Contractors of America, I asked the group if any of them knew about RFID. Not a single person replied. Most have the impression that RFID is the new system that large consumer companies are now using to track inventory and sales. While this it true, RFID has found a new and different meaning in the sling, rigging, material handling, construction, oil and energy generation industries.”

“Clients are using RFID systems to track everything from slings, motors, valves, vehicles, fire extinguishers, harnesses, forklifts, lathes, and even playground equipment,” Gelskey continues. “There are a variety of chips available for metallic and non-metallic objects, chips that are placed in bolt on plates, encapsulated in bands, etc. The important thing to realise is that the chip and, specifically, the unique 14-digit chip number, are what make the association between the chipped item and the information that is uploaded and stored on the server."

The tags, small circuit boards that transmit a radio signal to a handheld computer reader, were introduced in detail with particular reference to tower cranes in Cranes Today, October, pp35–39.

Users need to make sure they buy the right tags for the right equipment, points out another supplier, N4 Systems. "Typically, high frequency RFID tags (ISO 15693) are harder to read if placed on a metal surface. Off-the-shelf RFID tags that are not tuned for metal have this problem. They typically cannot be read," says Soman Mondal, N4 president. That problem has been solved, he adds. Mondal claims that N4's RFID 7/12 in (15mm) diameter chip, which mounts on metal, is an industry first: "Cost is probably the biggest problem, since adding an 80-cent tag to a 10-dollar product could be prohibitively expensive."

The work process

In theory, RFID tags pay for themselves over the long term. There are up-front costs in buying the chips, setting up the computer hardware and software, and training users.

Gelskey says, "First the chip is 'initialised' and various attributes are loaded in via a hand held reader or desk top integrator. Many systems, like Lift-It and InfoChip, allow the fabricator or user to custom design dropdown menus, which can feature location, inspection intervals, inspection criteria, etc. The implementation process is only as good as the software developers and installers. This process has been done many times, for many people with many different operating platforms and accounting software systems.”

Gelskey continues, “Once done, the unit is placed into service and the mechanic or inspector can inspect the unit via a handheld reader. Inspection, maintenance and/or repair activity are recorded on the handheld, and the record for the asset is updated. The inspection and record keeping process is done with an electronic signature and time stamp. The system administrator can prevent tampering with certain attributes, such as changing stock numbers or capacities. By storing the records on a computer, users can manage, schedule and be alerted to future inspections or operations."

There are two types of RFID tracking system available on the market: those that live on a single computer, and those that live on the Internet. US rigging gear manufacturer Crosby's Quic-Check RFID inspection system lives on a PC.

Crosby has developed rugged RFID discs that attach to rigging gear. These discs are part of the company's Quic-Check system of angle and wear markings on shackles, hooks and other gear.

"The system we have today enhances data accuracy by eliminating data inputting errors. Used correctly, the system can reduce total inspection time by as much as 65%," says Mike Wheeler, Crosby Group marketing director.

"A priority in developing the Quic-Check system was simplicity. We have done this by using familiar tools such as a scanner based on a standard PDA; software that sees dropdown options, as far as possible, thereby minimising keying, where errors normally occur when completing forms. It greatly simplifies compliance with safety regulations in the compilation of reports for necessary certification such as ASME B30.9 which requires slings to be inspected at least annually."

The system is currently available in the USA and Asia, and the company is launching it in Europe in early 2008.

Because of concerns about the risk of damage or detachment of RFID tags, Crosby is now embedding RFID chips into products such as shackles, blocks, hoist rings and plate clamps during manufacture. The company is also working with web information provider InfoChip to launch a service to publish rigging gear inspection reports online.

Gelskey, who represents US-based firm InfoChip, argues that web-based systems offer better control and management of information. "If a change is made on a computer based system, the hand held must be synced with the computer, or visa versa. If multiple parties are involved, the individual computers must be networked to allow consistent information to be synchronised. Needless to say, the onerous task of data management and updating files may outweigh the benefits of RFID for computer-based systems. Web-based RFID systems allow multiple users to have the same ‘real time’ view of the product attributes.

"RFID software provides access to inspection and maintenance history through a secure, hosted, online database. When customers purchase a chipped item from Lift-It and have a license to use the system, they can log on to the web, input the sling serial number and obtain all information, including certificates of test, and actual stress/strain charts.”

Another US and Canada supplier, N4 Systems, posts rigging gear reports either to a single computer or to a web page that it hosts for customers. In April, it expanded its Field ID inspection system to include not only slings, but cranes as well. When inspectors go on site, they normally read the crane's serial number, find its record and then carry out the inspection and make manual notes. Then they send a copy back to the customer.

N4 Systems installs an RFID chip on the crane, and the inspector's PDA automatically registers the crane, so they can start to immediately go through the inspection criteria. Once they press save, the record transmits to the web site, where they can download certificates.

Future possibilities

If RFID tags could be linked into a global positioning system (GPS) network, the combined system could track items from the smallest component to the largest super tanker. One application might be to ring-fence a construction site so that critical equipment as well as attachments such as slings, blocks and shackles will be automatically logged on to a site and whose position could be traced within the site. Unscheduled movement of an item off the site could raise an alarm.

Another development will be the development of software that uses RFID tags to improve logistics. Construction material coming into a site can be tagged and the tag ID used to locate where on the site the material has to be stored exactly and where the crane has to lift it. On space-limited sites where material is stored on various levels of high rise structures, this technology has the potential to speed up delivery of material to the point of use.

In projects where steel or concrete beams, pre-cast components and other structural elements are dimensioned
for a specific location, RFID tags could help the project manager, the banksman and the crane operator to ensure that the right piece makes it to the right location.