The Hindu Business Line : Orizin Tech in talks with retailers for radio frequency ID

The Mysore-based company is in talks with some retailers for considering radio frequency identification (RFID) for their front-end operations. With RFID in place, retailers can now hope to bust long queues at billing counters and tighten security.

Orizin has already implemented RFID at Sakhi, a boutique in Bangalore, in operations such as billing and security.

While companies such as Madura Garments and Pantaloon are experimenting with RFID in back-end operations such as stock verification and tracking work progress in manufacturing, this is, perhaps, the first time a retail company has adopted this technology in full, including the front-end functions.

How will RFID help on the retail front? RFID technology helps automatically scan objects over a larger scanning area, unlike the barcode, which needs a handheld device to detect objects within a limited line of sight.

This technology, unlike the barcode, can detect even moving and hidden objects that are tagged with an RFID label, says Mr Prashant Agrawal, Managing Director, Orizin Technologies. The system also automatically updates the inventory information.

What's more, the technology enables scanning objects in bulk, whereas with barcoding each and every item has to be individually scanned.

For this purpose, Orizin proposes to do away with shopping carts and trolleys and introduce `smart baskets' that are RFID-enabled. It will also introduce RFID customer cards to store all details about regular customers — similar to the loyalty cards used today.

With RFID, security can be improved at the shopping area — electronic artificial scanning, a solution that uses huge "gate antennae" with limited range of vision, will give way to smaller, sleeker RFID antennae that can track shoppers over a much larger area.

Worldwide, retailers such as Wal-Mart and Tesco use this technology in all their operations.

Pilot projects

RFID has been so far used in pilot projects in the country in manufacturing, healthcare and to a small extent in retailing, but it will take off in a big way this year across various sectors, says Mr Agrawal. Although RFID costs twice the money required to put both barcoding and electronic artificial scanning in place, in the long run it is beneficial, he adds.

Apart from the retail sector, Orizin is all set to implement RFID in the jewellery industry with Jtrack - its solution for inventory tracking. Unlike barcode, which scans individual pieces of jewellery, a whole tray load of jewellery with RFID tags can be inserted in Jtrack and data can be captured from all of them in just seconds.

Saves time

Says Mr Agrawal, "It takes at least five minutes to scan 100 items now. With Jtrack, it can be done in 3-4 seconds. This not only saves time but also drastically reduces the number of staff required to perform this function."

Orizin will implement this solution in 70 jewellery companies this financial year.

It is also looking to introduce RFID at a hospital in Gurgaon to track patients and medical equipment.