New RFID forklift keeps bums on seats

Operating under RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), the backrest-mounted readers provide a reliable capture of RFID Gen 2 tagged boxes, pallets and products as they are handled by the forklift. “We are almost certain that this is the first operational version in the world,” said Craig Mckenzie, strategic marketing, Peacock Bros.

Completed this week, the RFID forklift is currently being loaded with demonstration applications before being displayed at the Wireless World/RFID Summit in Sydney. Peacock Bros., who worked on the construction of the unit, list increased productivity as one of its main advantages. Completing preliminary testing, the company found that the system can process RFID-tagged items three times faster than the conventional barcoded system. “By increasing the speed of data capture for moving products by 3-4 times this will calculate into thousands, if not millions, of dollars in savings for the large freight and logistics companies,” said Mckenzie.

Having worked on the project for the past four months, McKenzie traces the inspiration for this machine as a result of collaboration Intermec Channel Manager Paul Weiss. “We were looking for a project we could work on together,” he says. “With RFID a main target market for Peacock Bros. and Intermec already completed a prototype it seemed the perfect choice.”