Transforming Aerospace Production: Boyd Boosts Efficiency with RAIN RFID
A leader in the aerospace industry, Boyd needed a better way to track work orders. Impinj partner Xemelgo helped automate tasks and increase efficiencies with its RAIN RFID work-in-process solution.
RFID precision: Boyd's seamless work order tracking
At any given moment, aerospace materials supplier Boyd is working on more than 3,000 jobs, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at numerous locations around the world. Each job requires a physical job ticket with crucial information about the order, the customer, the requirements, and any changes that are made or needed.
Boyd’s traditional production operations led workers to spend time searching for work orders and sometimes misplace them, resulting in missed delivery dates or wasted material when orders had to be restarted. Tracking and locating these work order tickets as they moved through a facility was a major challenge without real-time visibility.
Boyd found itself in need of a better way to track work orders. It turned to an innovative company by the name of Xemelgo and its Smart Manufacturing Suite, powered by RAIN RFID and Impinj.
Boyd worked with Xemelgo, an Impinj partner based in Bellevue, Washington, to implement the Xemelgo Work-in-Process Tracking solution and incorporate RAIN RFID into its operations. This upgrade gave Boyd real-time insight into its WIP operations, the location and status of all work orders, and streamlined order production.
The Xemelgo Work-in-Process Tracking solution provided Boyd with powerful benefits, including:
- Real-time WIP visibility, tracking job tickets throughout the production process
- Time savings, increased efficiencies, reduced waste, and fewer errors by automating tasks
- Improvements in on-time delivery and customer service
- Live mapping capabilities for visualizing where orders are located at any given moment
- Real-time alerts to operational issues, such as possible bottlenecks or delays
How RAIN RFID streamlines Boyd’s production
Xemelgo’s WIP solution is powered by Impinj RAIN RFID tag and reader chips, along with handheld RAIN RFID readers from Impinj partners. By tagging physical job tickets with RAIN RFID tags and tracking them using Impinj-powered mobile readers, Boyd can keep tabs on the location and status of every order as it moves through a production facility.
Here's how the solution works:
- Work orders and job travelers are tagged with RAIN RFID labels featuring Impinj tag chips
- Workers use handheld RAIN RFID readers throughout a facility to track tagged work orders as they move among workstations and departments
- Handheld readers with “Geiger counter” capabilities for finite tracking help employees locate work orders within an area of the facility
- Real-time data on the location of each work order enables status updates and operational alerts
- Mapping tools show the location of every work order within production operations
Work-in-process benefits with real-time visibility
With the Xemelgo Work-in-Process Tracking solution powered by Impinj RAIN RFID, Boyd can pinpoint exactly where any job is located in the factory at a moment’s notice.
Unmatched visibility into operations
Boyd can view the location of any work order at any time, and view its status as it makes its way through production. Lost job tickets are a thing of the past, and order updates can easily be made whenever necessary.
Automation of once-manual tasks
No longer do employees have to waste time manually scanning a barcode on every work order. By automating tasks that were previously manual, Boyd is able to reduce human error, minimize waste, and increase operational efficiencies.
Improvements in on-time delivery
By streamlining the production process, Boyd can minimize bottlenecks, reduce delays, quickly handle changes, and keep orders on schedule. And by improving on-time delivery, Boyd helps ensure a high level of customer satisfaction.
Live location mapping and alerts
Tagged items can be visualized on a live map interface, making it a breeze to locate work orders and view their status. RAIN RFID data can also power real-time alerts about operational issues, such as potential bottlenecks or orders that have been held up for too long.
- Article tagged as:
Monday, February 12, 2024
ABOUT THE CUSTOMER
Boyd
Boyd has a long-tenured aerospace and defense heritage with decades of experience innovating alongside industry leaders.
ABOUT THE PARTNER
Xemelgo, Inc
Xemelgo's Smart Manufacturing Suite of products helps manufacturers transform their business by gaining real-time visibility into every stage of production, to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and boost profitability.
Sign Up for the latest news