Glaring inefficiencies in construction industry have come to light in the past but recent technological advancements under industry 4.0 have highlighted the need to incorporate automation via technology in the field of construction.
It has in fact become a pressing issue now and construction companies are incorporating new technologies in almost every field of construction. Be it tracking employees, tool tracking, safety measures, insights into project completion, productivity and employee efficiency or customer experience, technology and innovation can solve many issues within this industry.
Various technologies like IoT, simulation, advance robotics, Additive Manufacturing, Cloud and Big Data, AI and ML can be used to elevate various concerns within the construction industry. AIDC technologies like RFID, Barcode and BLE can also be used to tackle various day to day operational inefficiencies.
Let’s see how RFID tags can transform the construction industry:
What are RFID tags?
RFID is short for Radio Frequency Identification and RFID tags are used to identify and track assets using wireless radio frequency signal communication.
An RFID system consists of an RFID tag, an RFID reader and antenna along with an RF sub system to show and record the data collected. When an RFID tag is in the range of an RFID reader, it emits RF signals for RFID reader to decode and send it to the end user.
RFID tags are available in various shapes and sizes and most importantly in various frequency ranges that are used for varied tracking needs. Amongst these passive UHF RFID are very efficient and cost effective and many businesses use it for identification and tracking purposes.
Why use RFID tags in Construction industry?
Radio Frequency Identification has the capacity to identify and track and to provide you with accurate data about object and people movement at a construction site. Keeping that in mind RFID tags can be used for all sorts of day to day operations at the site.
Here are 5 ways RFID tags can transform the construction industry:
1. RFID for Tool tracking at a construction site
As mentioned above, Using UHF passive RFID, tool tracking can be done. Tools are very important at a construction site and scenarios like unavailability of tools or when tools go missing, could cause significant amount of delay in project completion.
Using Right RFID tags, this problem can be solved very easily. Various tools can be tagged with RFID tags and RFID readers can be installed at various intersections to keep track of tools moving in the hands of workers at the site.
2. Tracking workers using RFID at a construction site
Hard working and smart working workers are essential for any construction project to complete on time. Workers idling at a construction site is neither desirable nor productive. Using RFID tags, construction companies can keep track of workers and their movement.
3. Inventory management using RFID in construction industry
Renting construction tools and materials is a big thing in construction industry. Many companies in this industry not only rent construction tools but manpower as well. Keeping an accurate inventory thus becomes crucial. RFID tags can be used in tandem with RFID reader at various intersections throughout the inventory to keep track of stock movement and generating inventory insights. Construction companies can manage their inventory as well via passive UHF RFID system.
4. Managing Employee attendance using RFID tags at a construction site
Another great use of RFID is keeping track of employee working hours and employee attendance. RFID can remove the need for punching cards for attendance and can provide accurate employee attendance, more so when used with CCTV. By allotting RFID tag based identity cards, construction companies can keep track of employees checking-in and checking-out, which will improve the payroll and compensation for many employees and the company as well.
5. RFID for security in construction industry
Security at construction sites is the most important thing for employees and for contractors as well. Using RFID in tandem with CCTV, accidents can be identified based on the movement of workers and assets. Another great use of RFID at a construction site is access control and by use of RFID based access control system, unwanted access can be prevented. Theft can also be prevented using RFID system.
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