Edson Perin
The retail network A Principal Bebê & Mamãe, from the Brazilian state of Para, focused on items for children and families who have just had their babies, implemented the radio frequency identification (RFID) system from iTAG Etiquetas Inteligentes to better control its stocks and streamline the management of its eight stores. According to Ergino Ferreira, CEO of the company, A Principal is the pioneer in RFID in the North and Northeast regions, among local companies. “We are the first to adopt the technology in the three states where we operate: Para, Tocantins and Maranhao”.
The adoption of RFID technology caused a positive transformation in A Principal’s business, streamlining operations and facilitating the work of its employees. Thus, radiofrequency identification showed results in the purchase order process for the supplier, and in the receipt of goods at the Distribution Center (DC). “When the merchandise arrives at the DC, the process of printing the labels on top of the Purchase Order is carried out”, explains Ferreira. “The products are then tagged and, as a result, the entry of goods into the DC via the RFID portal becomes easier”.
Watch the interview with Ergino Ferreira, CEO of A Principal: click here.
Ferreira says that A Principal is already verifying the results of the implementation, which have started to be felt by the reduction in the time of business operations. “We are already seeing that the ideal will be when manufacturers provide the products we sell in our stores already with RFID tags. Today we are tagging everything, which offers significant gains, which could be even greater.”
After picking the items to the branches, the goods go through the RFID portal to check which items are being transferred to each store. In the store, the receiving process is carried out with a manual RFID collector, and inventory control is carried out with the same equipment. For the process of selling to the final consumer, a table reader facilitates the checkout.
In the implementation of A Principal, the iTAG iPRINT systems are in use, for generating the EPC code and printing the RFID tag; iTAG Monitor, focused on the configuration and reading process at fixed points; and iTAG Alert, which carries out the logistical control of the products, involving reception operations at the branch and inventory of stocks.
The implementation has an RFID portal installed on the DC of A Principal, which is responsible for entering and sending the goods to each of the branches. In stores, receipt is done by an employee with a portable collector. In sales operations, a table reader scans the products at checkout.
RFID equipment includes a reading kit Chainway UR4 on DC, a RFR900 collector for goods receipt and inventory counting, and a Chainway R3 desktop reader for checkout. The tag model used is the 74 x 20 Adhesive, with Impinj R6 chip. On average, 22,000 pieces are tagged at the branch that already has RFID installed. Tags are not reused.
“The biggest challenge to carry out the readings were the products that contained liquid and a lot of metal”, said one of the iTAG professionals responsible for the project, adding that the RFID solution is integrated with the management system (ERP) in use by A Principal, the Radinfo.
