RFID Gains Traction At John Deere
Featuring Mark Moran, technology architect, John Deere

Used with permission from RFID Journal, Inc.

John Deere, the Moline, Ill., manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment and residential lawn mowers, has been testing and using passive RFID in its manufacturing operations for at least two years. Now, the company is ramping up its efforts. In May, John Deere began using EPC Gen 2 RFID tags to ensure products meant for repair don't end up at retail stores. This month, the company is launching an EPC Gen 2 pilot in one of its factories, to monitor work-in-process (WIP) and ensure parts are at the right spot at the proper time. The firm is also integrating an RFID system with its manufacturing execution system (MES) in another factory, to improve production efficiencies and accuracies for a product it is now launching.

According to Mark Moran, technology architect at John Deere, the company had a specific goal in implementing an automated tracking system to monitor outbound logistics operations that move products to retail stores: It needed to be sure products coming off the line with quality issues and marked with repair tags didn't end up on delivery trucks bound for retailers. Moran described his company's RFID initiatives at the EPC Connection 2007 conference in Chicago earlier this month.