Industrial RFID: traceability
in manufacturing, step by step

What is RFID and how does it work in industry?

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is an automatic identification technology that uses radio waves to read and write data on electronic tags without physical contact or a direct line of sight. Unlike barcodes, it can read multiple tags simultaneously through non-metallic materials.

In industry, the main use cases are: product traceability on the manufacturing line, asset inventory and control, identification of tools and molds, access control for vehicles and people, and raw material tracking.

RFID frequencies for industrial environments

Architecture of an industrial RFID solution

A complete industrial RFID solution has four layers:

1. RFID tags — passive or active labels attached to the objects to be identified
2. Readers — fixed at control points or handheld for field work
3. Middleware — software that filters, processes and routes the read data
4. Target system — ERP, MES, database, mobile app or dashboard

Real cases implemented by Grupo Salba

Agrosuper — Asset inventory, Rosario Plant

The monthly asset inventory (tools, equipment, carts) took a full day with manual methods and had a high error rate. With a handheld RFID reader and a mobile app developed by Grupo Salba, the time was cut to under 2 hours with full traceability. An immediate reduction in losses from unlocated assets.

Aceros de Guatemala — SCADA with RFID in silos

10 storage silos with RFID tags for material identification, integrated with Ignition SCADA and a dynamic weighing system. A MySQL historian with full traceability of every batch from intake to dispatch.