Xerafy - Experts & Thought Leaders

Medical device manufacturers are pioneers in medical device tracking, digitising loaner management to automate their consignment programmes and support SPD traceability. Consigned surgical instrumentation and devices, such as ortho, implants, scopes, and laparoscopy, have become essential to healthcare facilities. Metal and plastic trays designed to handle and protect them during sterilisation are now available with electronic tags that allow full tracking and digitalisation of consignment programmes. Medical device tracking software By incorporating medical device tracking software into their loaners’ workflow, medical vendors benefit directly from streamlining their consigned inventory in the field, as well as its location and identification. Digitising loaner and consignment management improves patient outcomes Finally, digitising loaner and consignment management improves patient outcomes, by improving surgical case coordination, scheduling between institutions and vendors, reducing pre-op notification lead time and increasing overall accountability. Supporting SPD traceability SPD departments are still learning to deal with the added complexity stemming from loaner instrumentation management and medical device tracking software can help. The increased number of loaner trays, containers and cassettes pose a logistical challenge, which is exacerbated by the impact on patient safety and service quality: How to decontaminate, process, and handle instruments that are uncommon, rare, or complex? How to get access to their count sheets and usage instructions? How to learn about a loaner set’s history records and document its reprocessing information at the facility? While the use of loaner instrumentation may be temporary, the SPD is responsible for cleaning, sterilisation, maintenance and inventory integrity, while in the custody of the healthcare institution. As a result, any tracking technology considered must be safe for all standard processing methods, particularly sterilisation: ETO, cold solutions, autoclave/dry heat. Loaner Instrument Management for the OR The OR will focus on getting the right instrumentation sets, on time and in the right room, as with all required instrumentation. In addition to reducing inventory-related OR delays, instrumentation sets will be built based on physician preferences. Each instrumentation set prepared for a specific case is labelled to assist perioperative nurses in proactive patient safety. Eventually, surgical loaner tracking should enable full traceability, with each set associated with a doctor, an operating room, and a procedure, in accordance with UDI requirements. Upgrading loaner tracking solutions to RFID Medical device manufacturers are upgrading their loaner tracking solutions to RFID Medical device manufacturers are upgrading their loaner tracking solutions to RFID. The technology is taking over from the first-generation loaner and consignment programme tracking solutions that used barcodes, QR codes, and other camera/computer vision technologies. The rationale for the technology upgrade is found in several operational advantages over older tracking solutions. Used with the right medical device tracking software, RFID enables real-time inventory tracking. It allows for inventory automation and is fully operational in the OR, SPD, and in the field, providing full data accuracy. Moreover, the unique identifiers provided by RFID tags are UDI-compliant for full traceability from manufacturer to patient. RFID has a long history of usage in the medical field and is fully interoperable with existing systems, facilitating the upgrade and its deployment at the facility. RFID tracking devices The RFID tracking devices come in the form of Passive UHF RFID tags, designed to be attached to the surgical loaner trays, containers, and cassettes. The RFID tags are made of medical-grade materials, such as 316L stainless steel and engineered plastics. They are shock resistant and processing-safe, being designed to withstand standard processing and sterilisation methods. The RFID tags fit both metal and plastic trays, and take advantage of existing holes on surgical trays, in order to provide a perfect fit using rivets or screws. The addition of metal inserts ensures a solid bond with the trays throughout the rigors of processing, while the option to use screws allows for easy removal or replacement, if required. Custom RFID tags services Xerafy is a pioneer in RFID technology for healthcare and medical applications, bringing to market critical technological innovations that enable advanced identification and automation capabilities. In addition to a complete range of field-proven RFID tags available off-the-shelf, Xerafy offers custom RFID tags services, covering everything from a personalisation service bureau to custom design engineering capabilities.

Recent industry surveys show that RFID-automated data center asset tracking can increase productivity 15 times while reducing the time used to inventory assets by as much as 90 percent. Comprehensive IoT solutions are available for data centre automation to track and secure IT assets with very little human intervention, hence addressing the challenges of increasing inventory accuracy and decreasing time and physical labour. Limitations of barcodes for automation IT Assets case studies show how different inventory technologies compare when it comes to 10,000 IT Assets in a data centre: Paper: 50 hours Barcode: 16 hours RFID: 4 hours Barcodes often start with solving supply chain issues, such as reconciling incoming equipment. But they provide only limited improvements compared to paper inventories. This is due to the labour-intensive nature of the technology being used, which requires establishing a focused line of sight for each barcode to be read individually, one at a time. These limitations make barcodes unsuitable for more advanced automation such as identification and tracking in server racks and have pushed data centre managers to look to RFID along with their IT Vendors. Enabling real-time IT asset visibility   Asset utilisation is improved with real-time data across locations used for effective scheduling RFID allows for accurate batch reading, scanning across critical areas such as storage, inventory room, server racks, to collect identification information in bulk and at a distance, without any line of sight required. Beyond faster and more accurate data centre inventories, RFID enables real-time asset visibility that translates into improved service agreement management and simplified compliance reporting. Asset utilisation is improved with real-time data across locations used for effective scheduling. Security benefits from getting real-time information on equipment moving in and out of specified locations. Equipment content security Item-level traceability, audit trails, and automated reporting, all contribute to enhancing compliance, throughout an IT Asset life cycle. Regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley and the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) mandate that companies maintaining sensitive data such as financial and health records prove they own their equipment and have complete control over equipment content security. Deploying RFID asset tracking for data centres RFID and IoT systems are designed to manage many IT Assets, devices, and equipment throughout their life cycle RFID and IoT systems are designed to manage many IT Assets, devices, and equipment throughout their life cycle. A typical IT asset tracking solution consists of RFID tags and labels, a mix of fixed and handheld RFID readers, and software to enable essential features in the field and interoperability with existing processes and systems, such as enterprise IT Asset Management (ITAM). Tag placement and size One of the biggest challenges for RFID deployment in the data centre is tag size and tag placement: Does it go on the front of the rack-mounted equipment? Will it fit? What is the read range? Can it be attached to the back of the chassis? Xerafy's experience with data centre environments is born from the many options available relative to tag size and performance. The XS Dot and Dash RFID Tags allow the customer to use a very small footprint tag and provide many placement options. At the same time, the Xerafy Data Trak II is an ideal form factor for attaching tags to the equipment using a zip tie or wire hanger. Form factors, mounting options, and tag performance stand out together to solve the most challenging data centre tracking problems.

Industrial RFID technology takes RFID past supply chain applications, into manufacturing and production, with more demanding applications, such as the high-temperature environments found in automotive industry. A properly designed RFID tracking system can significantly improve production efficiencies, control costs and streamline overall processes. Automotive provides a compelling example of a complex manufacturing process that involves numerous measures and steps, in order to ensure that what begins as a bare chassis becomes a complete automobile, which is capable of being driven out of the factory. From barcodes to RFID It is critical to ensure that all stages of assembly are completed correctly and on time. As a result, each chassis must include a mechanism for tracking, at any point during the production. In addition, before proceeding to the next stage, the chassis is painted and placed in a high-heat oven, in order to cure the paint quickly. At the moment, chassis are tagged with a barcode label, which is frequently accompanied by a paper ‘traveller’. Physical and mechanical handling of the chassis, during the manufacturing process, may damage the barcode label to the point where it cannot be scanned, or the label may fall off entirely. The label will be painted over and thus become unreadable, especially during the painting process. More often than not, the paper ‘traveller’ is lost along the way, due to handling. Automatic mechanism for seamless, contactless tracking An automatic mechanism that allows a seamless and contactless method of tracking Work-in-Process (WIP) of an automobile, including identification of the vehicle VIN number cross-referenced with build-sheets, ensures that the proper parts and even paint colours are used. Likewise, when the chassis reaches the paint shop, the mechanism must survive not only the painting process but also the baking process involving a heavy-duty oven reaching between 43°C/110°F to 60°C/140°F during a very short period of time. Xerafy MICRO series passive UHF RFID tags RFID can also be applied by the manufacturer at the source level, to assist in inventory control, quality The Xerafy MICRO series are high-temperature passive UHF RFID metal mount tags that allow the RFID tags to be implemented directly on the asset. Using them early in the production process provides management with specific tracking data, in order to identify where the product is, where a product is stored, and detect bottlenecks within the production process. RFID can also be applied by the manufacturer at the source level, to assist in inventory control, quality, and returns and counterfeiting prevention. Many applications exist where a label cannot be mounted on a surface. The current challenge from customers is for a tag that has superior performance on metal and can survive high temperatures, pressures, and harsh environments of demanding applications. Custom RFID Tags services Xerafy is a pioneer in Industrial RFID, bringing to market several innovations that enable advanced industrial identification and automation capabilities. In addition to a complete range of field-proven RFID tags that are available off-the-shelf, Xerafy offers Custom RFID Tags services, covering everything from a personalisation service bureau to custom-design engineering capabilities.