How does the hospital laundry with multiple clients to keep track of all input and output to ensure that they return to the right facilities, and efficiently? The technology has developed more and more sophisticated in the past two decades. Monitoring systems are particularly crucial when it comes to unique items such as custom gowns or uniforms, like a laundry medical service would.
There are two main types of systems: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and barcode. RFID is the technology used in microchips inserted into pets so they can be identified and returned home if you lose. Since RFID is currently the most modern, efficient, we will focus most of our attention on how it works in the laundry room monitoring.
RFID systems
In an RFID system, a tag or chip is attached to each towel, paper, clothing, or other item. In some cases, they are installed by the manufacturer. In other cases, the elements are marked by the laundry. The tags / chips are available with low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF) radio bands or ultra-high frequency (UHF). The tags have a strong but small, plastic wrap, thin that it does not interfere with the use of an element, but able to withstand harsh washing of commercial processes that use very hot water and chemical products for up to hundreds of washes.
How RFID Works localization
antennas connected readers are placed in locations where the elements pass through or are stored at key points during their time at the laundry service. This includes inputs, dirty laundry bins, hampers clean linen, and uniforms racks. Whole linen bins can be scanned at once. The player is connected to a software system that collects and manages data. The system also allows laundry to inventory his hotel bed linens, catering, and hospital quickly and accurately, with little labor required.
Barcode Labeling
Bar coding is an, old simplest RFID technology. It is generally less expensive, but not efficient for the monitoring of large quantities of stocks. A barcode labeling system, which is essentially what is used in stores to bring up the price and other details on the items we buy, logs information about each object, such as when it was released, how many times is processed, and when was the last turned into.
RFID compared to Bar Coding
- with usually barcode requires the entry with the label of being inside the line view of the reader, and therefore makes it necessary that an employee is there to operate the reader. Most RFID readers remain at a fixed position, and the articles can be read even if they are not directly in front of it. The employees do not work the readers.
- Bar codes can only read one at a time, while the RFID systems can read multiple tags simultaneously.
- RFID tags can be read at much greater distances (up to over a hundred yards) as opposed to about five yards for a bar code.
- RFID readers can read much faster - several hundred or more tags per second.
- A bar code is read-only, while the majority of RFID tags can read and write, which means that new information may overwrite existing information. It 'something like the difference between CD readable / writable and readable ones.
- RFID tags can identify each item individually labeled, while most of bar codes can only identify the type of item.
Some large companies a service, such as those who run textile materials for hospitals, put both RFID tags and bar codes on each of their objects. The bar code is there as a backup in case the RFID system can not read an item. However, the RFID tags are accurate almost 100%.
How Tracking improves laundry services
Tracking systems improve efficiency and reduce the time and effort involved in processing, shipping and receiving in a laundry. They allow business owners to track every item in their inventory from purchase to the rag-out. They provide an accurate inventory, so that the laundry companies have never run out of sheets, sanitary towels or any other element that deal. The most advanced tracking systems can also generate billing report when items are shipped to customers.
How Steve Kallenbach, a former member of the American Laundry News Expert Group, notes, "If you do not have good processes of reconciliation, only one of these systems let you know what's missing!" However, the monitoring systems can go a long way toward helping the services of medical facilities, and other laundry companies operate more efficiently.
0 Komentar