Case Story: Container Centralen

Visibility across the entire supply chain

Using the custom-made CC TAG5, Container Centralen has achieved visibility across its supply chain, while confirming the authenticity of each reusable transport item in its pool.

Fast identification of returnable transport items

Container Centralen has achieved visibility across its supply chain, while confirming the authenticity of each reusable transport item in its pool, with the custom-made CC TAG5 designed for use by horticulture growers, transporters, and retailers. These fast-authenticating RFID tags from Lyngsoe Systems and Omni-ID are ensuring genuine tags in the pool. The ruggedized tags are designed together with Container Centralen to feature quick installation, fast authentication, and tamper-evidence that’s visible for those without RFID readers.

The story of Container Centralen

Container Central is the owner and inventor of the CC Pool System – the largest reusable transport Item pooling system in the European and the US horticulture industries. Its pool management service provides reusable transport items for the industry to transport plants and flowers around the world. Today there are 23,000 users (growers, transporters, and retailers) which in combination handle and transact four millions RTI’s (Returneble Transport Units). Each reusable transport item – including crates, containers, or trolleys – represent a significant value, and while it travels between parties and around the world, it also needs to return safely to the depot for servicing and reuse.

The Challenge:

A solution to authenticate and identify containers

Over the years, Container Centralen has investigated various technology-based solutions to authenticate and identify its containers, including RFID tags. The previous solutions required too much time to read and authenticate and needed to be cost-optimized.

Our Solution:

CC TAG5 - designed to conduct fast authentication

Lyngsoe and Omni-ID partnered to build a tag that would provide the solution Container Centralen were seeking. The CC TAG5 is designed to be non-removable without visual damage, tamper-evident, and quicker to read – by using the RFID technology it can be verified that the tag is a genuine Container Centralen tag.

To ensure their effectiveness in the harsh environment the transport units are exposed to, the tags are encased in the same polycarbonate material used in car headlights. This ruggedization ensures they can transmit effectively even when exposed to water or extreme temperatures.

One key challenge for Container Centralen was to procure a tag that can be authenticated with a handheld or fixed mounted reader, at high speed, either at its own facility or at customers. While previous RFID tag versions suffered from poor read range and used a time-consuming digital signature and user memory process to read, the CC TAG5 is designed to conduct fast authentication. Its built-in RFID chip stores the encrypted RFID number along with a brand identifier. Users simply scan the labels in a stack and instantly access data including the authentication of the labels.

In addition, the custom-designed antenna provides a long-read range as well as indicating if the tag has been opened, by failing to respond to interrogation. To provide an additional, visible indication of tampering, the label also comes with a pop-off button that displays if it has been opened.

The benefits:

Overall improvement in reading speed

Further results:

100% verification of genuineness

In their supply chain, Container Centralen has seen a significant reduction in reading times and an increased reading range which makes it possible to use fixed gate readers.

Using the RFID technology Container Centralen has a 100% verification of genuineness of the tag. The improved readability combined with the use of open standards makes the CC TAG5 perfect for supporting supply chain operations.

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