Brasek: Wireless tracking will boost tire logistics

When it comes to traveling, tires are literally our biggest connection to the road. So, it's only right to keep the industry on track for growth by utilizing smarter designs and technologies that do just that.

To prepare for the road ahead, leading tire companies need to leverage digital transformation initiatives that drive resilient, efficient and robust automation. Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, such as RAIN RFID, advance the future of tire manufacturing and how we identify, track, trace and streamline production.

RAIN RFID is a battery-free, wireless technology that connects items to the internet, enabling businesses and consumers to identify, locate, authenticate and engage each item.

Whether it's attaching a tag to the tire's outer wall, adhering it into the inner wall or curing it into the tire during the manufacturing process, RAIN RFID is well-suited for inventory visibility and process automation that help to increase operational efficiencies in the tire industry.

RAIN RFID provides numerous benefits across the supply chain for tire manufacturing, from asset management to inventory visibility and streamlined manufacturing automation. It helps facilitate inventory traceability from manufacturing throughout the supply chain and from the store to each consumer.

RAIN RFID readers can scan up to 1,000 tagged items per second from close range or up to 10 meters and transfer data into an information database in nearly real time. This allows users to see individual items and use data to better understand how their entire system is functioning and where operational efficiencies can be improved.

Deploying RAIN RFID into the tire manufacturing supply chain from the beginning can help to improve the overall manufacturing process and create more efficient tires overall.

With accurate, automated, high-speed systems that leverage RAIN RFID, businesses can efficiently and accurately track goods across locations, streamline distribution center operations and eliminate errors.

To illustrate how RAIN RFID is helping tire and tire equipment manufacturers in the real world, let's take a deeper dive to see how Group Michelin and Mesnac Co. Ltd. are leveraging this technology.

Michelin recently stated it aims to equip all its automotive tires with RAIN RFID tags by 2023.

The company equips up to 90% of its truck tires with RAIN RFID tags, and the expansion to passenger vehicles means they're serious about the benefits of technology for manufacturers and consumers alike.

Possessing a large global footprint of tire manufacturing operations, Michelin expects to install RAIN RFID into new tires at factories in Brazil, Thailand, China and Europe.

Michelin notes that among other benefits, RAIN RFID enables:

• Better tire management: With the right software, tire manufacturers will be able to improve inventory management throughout the manufacturing process and through sales. Soon, customers may also start seeing a tire display status on their dashboard.

• Use of predictive maintenance: By feeding into automated tire management systems, additional technology may empower users and fleet managers to anticipate in advance when retreading or other maintenance will be needed.

• Driver-assistance feature optimization: smart vehicle systems can eventually leverage information from the tire's RAIN RFID tag to determine the tire's features and adjust vehicle performance accordingly. RAIN RFID tags can withstand various hazards of the road and survive challenging conditions.

Mesnac, a global tire-equipment maker based in Qingdao, China, supports customers and enables full lifecycle visibility of final products from start to finish. By leveraging Impinj RAIN RFID in the equipment, it provides to tire manufacturers, Mesnac provides added value to its customers.

With the Mesnac solution and the Impinj platform, tire manufacturers can track inventory accurately from production to sales. Tire manufacturers can embed RAIN RFID tags into tires during the beginning of the product's lifecycle, enabling enhanced inventory management and overall visibility. Once tags are embedded in the tire, they can operate for years without maintenance while handling wide-ranging stresses of the road and vehicle maintenance, from temperature variation to potholes and retreading.

Fleet managers can rely on data from the RAIN RFID tags to feed into intelligent tire management systems, enabling safer and more efficient tire management.

These RAIN RFID use cases are just the beginning of the journey for the tire industry, and we look forward to the innovative uses in the near future. RAIN RFID is well-suited to driving visibility and automation that help to increase operational efficiencies, enabling the tire industry to advance offerings and opportunities.

Carl Brasek is the vice president of global device original equipment manufacturers at Impinj Inc. The company is a solutions platform provider focused on the Internet of Things technologies, including RAIN RFID.