Abstract
The first uses of RFID technology date back to the period of the Second World War. However, it was not until the 1990s that it was used on a larger scale, and there are now numerous commercial applications at low cost. These are used daily by millions of people: some examples known to all are those of contactless payments, highway tolls and anti-counterfeiting systems.
Within the ceramic industrial environment, there is still no established and widespread use of RFID technology. This thesis therefore aims to investigate whether RFID can actually represent an advantageous solution in this sector as well.
In particular, the activity on which the analysis was focused is that of container loading in the shipping area. Two different applications were considered: the first involves the use of smart labels on the shipping units with the aim of increasing the efficiency and quality of the process and the second the installation of an anti-collision system on the forklifts in order to guarantee greater safety for operators working in this area.
In both cases, tests were carried out on a model area and the results obtained were discussed. The main objective was to understand what the main limits of application of the technology were and if there was a way to solve them, the advantages that could have been obtained and the integration of the systems into the existing context. Having also considered the economic side of the investment, the feedback was positive and therefore approval was given for a wider use of the technology within the specific business reality considered.
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