John Q. Todd

Sr. Business Consultant/Product Researcher

Total Resource Management (TRM), Inc. 

It is true that many applications, including those provided by Maximo/Manage, have a “scan,” or other function to open the camera on a mobile device to scan bar/QR codes. An easy alternative is the use of RFID scanners/tags that are not dependent upon lighting and focus times that can cause frustration. If you are in a busy scanning environment, the camera is a less than efficient method of capturing data. Also, the scan function might not be available for all fields within the application.

RFID scanners do not have these limitations, are easy to connect to a “base,” device, and are quite inexpensive. They also have built-in functionality that can be programmed to format the scanned data and even pass commands to move the receiving application to a next step or field. (Most come with a manual full of programming capabilities.)

The typical RFID scanner can connect to the base device using Bluetooth, USB dongle, or directly with a USB cable. The method of connection is immaterial. Also note that there are many different formats of these codes, and while most scanners will read most codes, some have limitations. Be sure to investigate the types of codes you have in use, and perhaps plan to use in the future.

Given the scanner is connected to the base device, you can open just about any application and begin capturing the data that is in the codes. Open a text editor app and start scanning away. Wherever your cursor is (in a new document or field in an app) the data scanned gets entered as if you typed it… with no errors.

Also note that the scanner itself can be programmed to insert carriage returns, line feeds, tabs, etc. to the data stream after the code is read. This goes a long way to making the receiving application move to the next step or field without any programming.

Now open your favorite “real,” application. Focus your cursor on a field by touching it on a tablet or click in it with your mouse. Then pass the RFID scanner over the tag (or the other way around!) to scan a code. Et viola’! Data entered with no errors! Also, if the application understands the command codes sent after the scan, it will start the search or whatever other function occurs within the application just after the scan is complete. It is far more exciting to see it in action vs. reading about it, but following are some examples of how you can RFID scanning to your advantage:

Here is a RFID tag that was scanned from an asset to begin an inspection. After the scan, the application searches for the asset number in the database.

Here is how that same asset can be searched for in the main application. Again, focus the field, scan and the application search returns the results.

And here is an example where the receiving clerk scans the Purchase Order number off the box (with an RFID tag attached) to be received. Now they can begin the receiving process.

There are many other use cases where a RFID scanner can be helpful:

• Creating new consumable item and asset records by scanning the identification code, and perhaps even serial and model number fields vs. hand typing. (Pieces of equipment can have the serial and model numbers coded in RFID tags already)
• Create new service request records to identify work, scanning the asset RFID tag to identify the specific asset to perform work upon
• Searching for and picking items from inventory (Physical counts, issues, returns, etc.)
• Have pre-coded RFID tags that represent commonly entered data elements, replacing the need to type the same data repeatedly:
  • Lists of charge accounts
  • Labor names for time entry
  • Blanket work order numbers
  • Item/Asset classifications

Any field in any application that needs to have data entered can be populated by way of the scanned codes vs. manual entry. It does not matter what the application is or how it is hosted. If the field on the screen has focus, the scanner data is entered into it. (Of course, there can be situations where application/operating system/scanner issues can exist. Best to pilot the method before rolling out to a large user community.)

Let the scanning begin!

Given the very low cost of RFID scanners, their ease of connection to almost any mobile or fixed device, and the seemingly universal compatibility with applications, they are worth exploring to support your users. In some instances, the use of a RFID scanner to find records and enter data is a must. Inventory and warehousing operations are heavy users of RFID scanners. Maintenance and other field activities can also benefit from the use of these inexpensive devices. No more trying to figure out if the digit is an 8 or a 3… or is it a zero? Just scan the code and let the application find it for you.

Article by John Q. Todd, Sr. Business Consultant at TRM. Reach out to us at AskTRM@trmnet.com if you have any questions or would like to discuss deploying MAS 8 or Maximo AAM for condition-based maintenance/monitoring.