Forklift-Mounted RFID Readers Target Closed-Loop Apps

By Ed Hess, Integrated Solutions magazine

One development with forklift-mounted RFID readers that benefits end users has little to do with technology and more to do with business development. As the market for this technology evolves, RFID reader vendors have worked with forklift manufacturers to find ways to more easily integrate the technology into new and currently deployed lift trucks. Cascade Corp., for instance, is one of the leading providers of material handling equipment, including forklift components. RFID reader vendors have worked with Cascade to develop forklift parts that are RFID-compatible. "Cascade now offers forklift load backrests [the stop behind the forks where a pallet would abut] that have channels incorporated in them. These channels are used to conceal and protect the cabling connected to the mounted RFID readers," says Chris Johnston, group manager, RFID product strategy, Intermec Technologies. "Retrofitting a forklift with an RFID reader used to be a two-day job, and now it's about a 60-minute project." Christopher Warner, senior marketing manager, Motorola Enterprise Mobility, agrees that working with companies like Cascade has eliminated what was once an "exercise in cabling futility."

Even with retrofitting concerns alleviated, however, DCs (distribution centers) and warehouses are not flocking to deploy forklift-mounted RFID readers. The reasons for this measured approach are many. "One barrier to adoption is that lift truck manufacturers don't want to get too close to IT in the products they service and support," explains Dick Sorenson, director of RFID products at LXE. "These companies and their typical channel partners aren't necessarily staffed adequately with that type of expertise. There's been some activity by these vendors, but it still on the fringe compared to their core competencies."

Used with permission from Integrated Solutions magazine.