Returnable Containers Management

A leading aerospace supplier supporting Airbus’s final assembly line in China needed a more efficient way to track tools and MRO supplies. Manual processes led to errors, compliance risks, and inefficiencies that slowed production.

By implementing Xerafy’s RFID tracking system—featuring METAL SKIN® RFID labels, PICO Mini tags, and RFID-enabled cabinets—the company automated tool check-in/check-out, enhanced traceability, and simplified compliance reporting. The result? Improved productivity, reduced inventory discrepancies, and seamless audit readiness, all while supporting Airbus’s digital transformation goals.

Learn how RFID is streamlining aerospace manufacturing. 

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A major U.S. health system partnered with Xerafy and a surgical logistics provider to tackle inefficiencies in their Sterile Processing Department (SPD). Managing over 1,000 surgical trays daily across 18 hospitals, they faced challenges in real-time tracking, sterilization compliance, and data accuracy.

By integrating Xerafy’s MICRO Autoclavable RFID tags with a cloud-based surgical asset management platform, the health system achieved real-time visibility, automated tracking, and enhanced compliance. The RFID solution ensures every tray meets sterilization standards while optimizing interdepartmental workflows.

The results? Improved patient safety, reduced errors, and increased operational efficiency—all without disrupting surgical schedules.

Learn how RFID is transforming sterile processing and hospital logistics.

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Managing injection molds efficiently is critical for high-precision manufacturing, but traditional tracking methods can be time-consuming and error-prone. A globally recognized home appliance manufacturer partnered with Xerafy to integrate RFID into their mold management system, enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and predictive maintenance. By deploying Xerafy’s MICRO Industrial RFID tags—designed to withstand high temperatures and harsh conditions—the manufacturer now tracks molds in real-time, ensuring optimal utilization and reducing downtime. This Industry 4.0 solution also improves supply chain visibility, supporting their global pallet tracking program.

Discover how RFID is transforming mold management.

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Hospitals face significant challenges in managing medical supplies, including inventory tracking, replenishment, and ensuring critical supplies are always available. Manual processes often lead to inefficiencies, errors, and time wasted on administrative tasks. RFID technology offers a solution by automating inventory management, streamlining the tracking of supplies, and improving accuracy. With RFID-enabled smart cabinets, hospitals can automatically track the usage of items, monitor inventory levels, and generate orders when supplies run low or near expiration. These systems also enhance patient safety by ensuring that supplies are correctly linked to patients. Additionally, RFID labels on high-value medical devices and consumables enable better traceability and compliance with regulatory standards. By embracing RFID, hospitals can reduce errors, and time wasted on administrative tasks.

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In automotive manufacturing, ensuring that each chassis progresses smoothly through the production process is critical. Traditional barcode labels and paper travelers often get damaged or lost, particularly in the high-temperature environments of the paint and baking stages. To solve this challenge, the Xerafy MICRO RFID tags, designed for extreme heat and metal surfaces, provide a durable, contactless solution for tracking work-in-progress. These high-temperature passive UHF RFID tags can withstand temperatures from 110°F to 140°F during the paint curing process, ensuring continuous and accurate tracking. This solution improves production efficiency, reduces errors, and helps manufacturers monitor each chassis’ progress from start to finish.

Learn more about how RFID optimizes automotive manufacturing.

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Dazhong Mining, a leading iron ore producer in China, faced challenges with asset management and inventory accuracy across its vast mining operations. With over 900 employees working 24/7 in remote locations, manual inventory checks were slow, error-prone, and inefficient. To address these issues, the company implemented Xerafy’s Cargo Trak II RFID tags to streamline asset tracking and maintenance. The RFID system allows real-time data capture, reducing inventory time by 50% and ensuring accurate records for over 270 assets. This solution supports Dazhong’s Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) strategy, enhancing equipment availability and operational efficiency. The system is now being expanded to include fixed and office assets, further driving productivity.

Learn more about how RFID enhances mining operations.

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Xingligao Automotive Parts, a supplier to Bosch, faced the challenge of managing traceability in its complex manufacturing process, where quality incidents could lead to costly product recalls. To mitigate this risk, the company implemented Xerafy’s RFID-based track and trace system, using the MICRO Industrial RFID tag. The tags, resistant to high temperatures and chemicals, were mounted on product carriers, allowing fixed RFID readers on production lines to capture and store data about each product batch. This system provides detailed, real-time traceability from manufacturing to delivery, reducing recall incidents and improving response times. RFID technology enabled Xingligao to enhance quality control, minimize costs, and ensure reliable product information throughout the supply chain.

Learn more about how RFID improved Xingligao’s manufacturing process.

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Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding (MES) faced challenges managing large quantities of components—up to 55,000 parts for a single crane—from multiple vendors at its Oita Works facility. Manual sorting and tracking of these parts was time-consuming and prone to errors. To improve efficiency, MES implemented Xerafy’s Mercury METAL SKIN RFID labels for real-time, item-level tracking. These durable, on-metal RFID labels allowed vendors to pre-label parts before delivery, streamlining the acceptance process and enhancing inventory accuracy. As a result, MES saw significant productivity gains, reducing time spent on component acceptance and improving delivery efficiency to production sites. This solution not only optimized operations but also provided MES with valuable insights into their work-in-process using IoT technologies.

Discover how RFID transformed MES’s manufacturing processes.

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Efficiently managing LPG gas cylinder inventory presents challenges in logistics, safety, and compliance. Operators struggle with accurate tracking, inventory loss, and the complex lifecycle of cylinders that span 15-25 years. Traditional methods, like manual tracking or barcodes, can be error-prone and labor-intensive, while GPS and RFID solutions offer better efficiency. RFID, specifically UHF passive tags, provide automated, long-range tracking, overcoming limitations of older technologies. These tags ensure accurate identification, automate bulk scanning, and function well even on metal cylinders. Leading companies like Praxair and Air Liquide are already leveraging RFID for real-time inventory visibility, streamlining operations, and ensuring safety and compliance.

Discover how RFID can optimize your gas cylinder inventory management.

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Managing rigging and lifting equipment in Oil & Gas operations is complex, with strict safety regulations, compliance requirements, and operational risks. A misplaced shackle or missed inspection can result in costly downtime and safety hazards.

Xerafy’s RFID solutions provide real-time visibility, automating asset tracking and inspections to enhance safety and minimize delays. RFID tags withstand harsh conditions, seamlessly integrating with testing and compliance processes to ensure equipment is always in the right place and properly maintained. From reducing human error to optimizing inventory management, RFID transforms rigging and lifting operations for greater efficiency and reliability.

Discover how RFID is redefining safety and performance in Oil & Gas.

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A leading household brand needed a reliable way to track pallet shipments from its manufacturing site in Asia to five warehouses worldwide. Traditional tracking methods struggled to provide real-time visibility, leading to inefficiencies and potential losses. To address this, the company implemented Xerafy’s Cargo OUTDOOR RFID tags, designed for durability and long-range readability in both indoor and outdoor conditions.

With RFID, the company now has end-to-end visibility of pallet movements, reducing misplacement, automating inventory tracking, and improving supply chain efficiency. The system integrates seamlessly with warehouse management software, enabling better decision-making and logistics planning.

See how RFID is streamlining global logistics!

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Managing dredging pipes is a complex task, with challenges ranging from harsh marine conditions to inventory tracking and maintenance. Boskalis, a global leader in marine engineering, partnered with Xerafy to integrate RFID technology into their pipeline management system. By embedding rugged RFID tags in metal at both ends of each pipe, Boskalis, a global leader in marine engineering, partnered with Xerafy to integrate RFID technology into their pipeline management system. By embedding rugged RFID tags in metal at both ends of each pipe, Boskalis improved inventory accuracy, reduced manual handling risks, and streamlined maintenance tracking. This solution ensures efficient deployment, enhances pipe longevity, and minimizes operational downtime.

Discover how RFID technology is transforming dredging operations.

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Managing returnable plastic containers for fresh produce is a challenge, with issues like food safety, inventory accuracy, and operational efficiency. The world’s largest rooftop farm tackled this with Xerafy’s POD TRAK RFID tags, ensuring seamless tracking of reusable transport packaging.

By integrating durable RFID technology, the farm automated inventory management, improved return rates, and ensured compliance with food safety standards—all while reducing waste and supporting sustainability goals. The POD TRAK tags withstand harsh cleaning processes, extreme temperatures, and close-quarter storage, delivering reliable, real-time tracking data.

This solution has enhanced operational efficiency, cut costs, and strengthened the farm’s commitment to sustainable urban food production.

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Managing Unit Load Devices (ULDs) efficiently is critical for the air cargo industry, yet traditional tracking methods often lead to lost assets, delayed recoveries, and rising costs. This case study explores how RFID technology is transforming ULD management by providing real-time visibility, automating data capture, and reducing operational inefficiencies. Unlike battery-powered solutions such as BLE and GPS, passive RFID offers a long-term, maintenance-free alternative, ensuring seamless tracking across the supply chain. By improving asset utilization and minimizing manual errors, RFID technology enhances efficiency, reduces costs, and supports sustainability in air freight.

Discover how RFID is reshaping ULD management.

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The integration of RFID and RTLS technologies enables Toro Aluminum to achieve automated, transparent, and digitally controlled production and supply chain operations for aluminum components.

Toro Aluminium has been using RFID transponders, UHF ceiling antennas and RFID handhelds to label and identify products in the production of prefabricated aluminum components since 2023. Production, interim storage, outgoing goods and the after-sales area are all automated.

Windows and doors can be clearly identified and localized without contact. As a result, automation, data transparency and the degree of digitalization are increased.

The Production of Windows

Specialist for Aluminum

Toro Aluminum was founded in 1979 in Toronto, Ontario. The Canadian company has been producing aluminum products for more than 40 years. The production areas of the Toro Aluminum Group include facades, windows, doors, gates and balustrades.

The company produces prefabricated aluminum building elements for high-rise buildings, office buildings, universities, sports facilities, cultural institutions, government buildings and hotels. Toro Aluminum’s markets cover Canada, the USA and Mexico. Toro Aluminum’s window and door production facility, based in Toronto, has a production area of 1 million square meters. 500 employees manufacture over 3,000 aluminum windows every week. Work is carried out in a 3-shift system.

Aluminum as a Raw Material for Components

To date, a good 22 percent of the 13 million window units produced each year are made of metal, primarily in public and office buildings. Aluminum has long since replaced steel and now accounts for over 90 percent. Aluminum window frames have been in use in North America for almost 100 years. They are considered a typical feature of the mid-century style characterized by clear lines. To this day, aluminum windows have retained their significance for modern architecture.

The window frames have no visible weld seams and can be enameled or coated with paint. The high mass of aluminum windows ensures good sound insulation. However, they also have high thermal conductivity and are therefore offered with a thermal barrier in northern regions.

Modern aluminum frames are constructed in multiple layers and thus have a thermal break and built-in insulation material. This construction method results in a similar thermal conductivity to timber and PVC frames. As the window frame does not rust and is also very weather-resistant, the service life of an aluminum component is between 40 and 60 years.

The Production of Windows

500 employees produce over 3000 components every week. Production takes place in three shifts. The raw material for production is supplied in the form of aluminum profiles. CNC machines cut the vertical and horizontal aluminum profiles to size. Assembly then begins on ten assembly lines. The company has been using RFID transponders and UHF ceiling antennas as well as RFID handhelds in the production of aluminum windows since 2023.

The technology enables the labeling, identification and localization of windows and doors. The control of the CNC machines and the track & trace solution are a modern step towards the digitalization of production, the supply chain and after-sales processes.

Quality Management

The research and development department focuses on continuous product development. Modern designs, technical advancements in materials and insulation, as well as test scenarios are all part of daily business in the development department. Toro Aluminum uses a test chamber for quality control, in which air, water and structural tests are carried out.

Logistics

The fleet includes six tractor units, several flatbed trucks and box trucks. Toro Aluminum currently has 40 trailers of various sizes. The delivery regions are primarily Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto. In addition, Toro Aluminum also serves projects in Portland, Los Angeles, Halifax, Phoenix and even in Mexico.

RTLS in the Production Process

CNC Machines with RFID Printer

Aluminum profiles are cut to the exact lengths required by CNC machines. Each window is manufactured for a specific position, function and floor of a building. The vertical and horizontal dimensions must be a 100 percent exact fit. To automate this production step, RFID Canada has integrated RFID printers from Sato into the CNC machines.

The printers are connected to the ERP system. They generate a coded RFID label that contains the exact production dimensions and key placement data for the window to be produced. The component now has a unique ID. This ID is stored in the ERP system for the specific order. The ID provides the CNC machine with the dimensions for cutting.

Assembly Lines with Ceiling Antennas

The ceiling antennas from Feig Electronic are precisely configured for the production processes on the assembly line. They cover a precise reading zone. Only the components that are manufactured on the assembly line can be detected. Each of the ten assembly lines begins at the CNC machine, the starting point of the assembly line.

Once the profiles have been cut to size, they are further processed on the assembly line. In the first integration phase RFID Canada has equipped the start and end of production on all ten assembly lines with two ceiling antennas each.

The ID of the component is detected via the RFID ceiling antenna and assembly commences. The RFID label is located on the side of the components. Ceiling antennas are installed both at the beginning and at the end of the two assembly lines. These two checkpoints ensure that the start of production and the end of production are documented and also recorded in terms of time.

Further control checkpoints are planned for the assembly lines in the future to further increase the transparency of production. In the final expansion stage, all ten assembly lines are to be equipped with RFID technology.

Interim Storage and RTLS

Before the window reaches final assembly and the last inspection point, it must in some cases be temporarily stored in the waiting or quarantine warehouse. Components that cannot be finished because a component is missing or an additional inspection is required are “parked” in this area. Real-time localization of all windows takes place in this temporary storage area via ceiling antennas.

The ERP system therefore knows exactly which components are located where and for how long. This area is essential for Toro Aluminum. An order is often 99 percent complete. The missing components are in interim storage and can be clearly localized in real time based on the ID. This completes the production process for the entire order.

RFID & RTLS in the Supply Chain

Outgoing Goods

The gates at the outgoing goods area are also equipped with RFID antennas. An indicator light is attached to each antenna. All windows that reach the outgoing goods area are detected. Based on the ID, the ERP system creates the delivery bill for the order.

If a window that is not part of the delivery reaches the outgoing goods area, the indicator lamp lights up red. RFID Canada installed a special type of antenna from Times-7 in the gates of the outgoing goods area, as the beam angle has to be very narrow. This ensures that only components that belong to the order are loaded.

Furthermore, it is essential that all components belonging to an order are also loaded completely. If even just one window is missing on the construction site, which can be thousands of kilometers away, this results in high downtime costs.

Incoming Goods on the Construction Site

The RFID To Go software is installed on the customer’s handheld. The handheld has an interface to Toro Aluminum’s ERP system. The handheld can therefore be used to check the completeness of the delivery on the truck.

If the delivery is correct, Toro Aluminum’s ERP system is informed and the order is marked as successfully delivered. The site manager can also use the RFID handheld to locate and count a specific component or group of components.

Once the components have been installed, the RFID label is concealed between the window and the wall. Toro Aluminum must comply with maintenance contracts and warranties for five years after installation. As the ID of the component can be read out, the exact dimensions for a replacement order can be quickly determined even years after installation.

Automated Production in Four Months

Interview with Khaled Elshimy

1. What benefits does Toro Aluminum generate with the RFID and RTLS solution?

The entire production process on the ten assembly lines is transparent and can therefore be controlled. The localization of the components is particularly beneficial in the interim storage area and during goods delivery.

At these control checkpoints, Toro Aluminum generates time savings, safety and control. The advantages of traceability and automatic identification are combined at the loading gates. In the after-sales area, the ordering of spare parts is optimized.

2. What challenges did you have to overcome?

The biggest challenge was clearly the metallic environment and the reflections. We had to make sure that the hardware was configured correctly to work in this environment. As the manufacturing process is not completely machine-based, but involves people carrying, turning and also machining the components, the process is not uniform.

3. Was a proof of concept carried out in advance at Toro Aluminum?

Yes, that’s what we did. The pilot project ran for six months. We only installed a single checkpoint with RFID ceiling antennas on one assembly line and at one gate at the outgoing goods area. The integration of the RFID printers with the CNC machines was not part of the proof of concept. We therefore supplied the pre-coded labels.

The employees applied these RFID labels manually. The purpose of this project was to compare the results of the RFID system with the results of the current barcode system.

The results were clear and demonstrated the potential of RFID technology. The automated and contactless processes are superior to the manual barcode process. The decision to start the installation was therefore made very quickly.

4. When did RFID Canada install the RFID and RTLS solution at Toro Aluminum?

We started the implementation in March 2023. Around four months were planned to complete the entire hardware installation and the integration of the RFID printers with the CNC machines. The installation had to be carried out in phases in order to reduce downtime on the production lines as much as possible. We therefore installed in stages. The aim was to equip two assembly lines with RFID technology by July 2023. This has been achieved.

5. How is the RFID hardware connected to the ERP system?

All production and logistics processes, all readers and antennas and all generated data are connected to Toro Aluminum’s ERP system in real time via RFID2Go and RFID Hub. These two software solutions take care of the system status of the entire hardware and infrastructure as well as the integration, connectivity and transfer of data to the application database.

6. Which RFID products did you select?

We have a total of 17 readers, 35 antennas, 10 handheld readers and 9 printers. RFID Canada is manufacturing customized RFID labels for this application. The fixed readers in the ceiling area are all from Feig Electronic. We have mounted antennas from Times-7 and Feig Electronic on the gates. The printers are from Sato, the handheld readers from Honeywell and the tags from Avery Dennison.

Source: Think WIoT

About Aya Kitchens & Bath

Aya Kitchens & Bath is a Canadian manufacturer specializing in customized, mass-produced kitchen and bathroom cabinetry. Their model is ambitious: produce at the volume of a large-scale manufacturer while still allowing each customer to fully personalize their cabinet to unique specifications. Every cabinet is manufactured in-house from start to finish, with tens of thousands of individual parts moving through the facility every single day.

Industry: Custom Cabinet Manufacturing Location: Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Ontario, Canada.

The Challenge

With such high production volumes and a distribution network spanning coast to coast to coast, Aya Kitchens & Bath faced a persistent and costly problem: cabinets were occasionally being loaded onto the wrong outbound trucks.

Before RFID, every cabinet was manually scanned by hand at the shipping dock. In a high-pressure, high-volume environment, human error was inevitable. A shipper might scan a cabinet correctly but then physically load it onto the wrong truck — or scan multiple items at once without accurately tracking which one went where. With trucks heading as far as the West Coast and the East Coast, a mislabeled shipment meant a customer would receive the wrong order or nothing at all.

The financial stakes were significant. Losing even a few cabinets per week — whether through misdirection or an inability to prove delivery — added up quickly in both direct costs and customer satisfaction.

Aya Kitchens & Bath had already attempted to address this through internally developed software controls, including green/red light indicators and audible alerts tied to barcode scans. However, the fundamental limitation remained: as long as a human was required to physically scan each item, the risk of error could never be fully eliminated.

Why RFID Canada

Aya Kitchens & Bath discovered RFID Canada while researching available RFID solutions. What set RFID Canada apart from other vendors was responsiveness and proximity.

Unlike other vendors who were slower to respond or based in the United States, the RFID Canada team — based in the Greater Toronto Area — was able to respond within the hour, visit the facility in person, and begin drawing up a tailored plan immediately.

“RFID Canada was very responsive. The team communicated and responded to our emails within an hour. They were more than willing to come down, take a look at our situation, and start drawing up a plan. Other companies were a bit slow, and a lot of them were in the States — so traveling over here was more of a hassle. It was a real benefit that RFID Canada was in the GTA area.” — Eric Wong, Process Engineer, Aya Kitchens & Bath.

The Solution

RFID Canada designed and deployed a UHF RFID tracking system at the finished goods and shipping area of Aya Kitchens & Bath’s facility. RFID labels were printed on-demand using integrated RFID label printers and applied directly to finished cabinet boxes at the point of completion — ensuring every unit entering the shipping area was tagged and traceable from the moment it left the production floor. Fixed UHF RFID readers with directional antennas were installed at key exit points to automatically capture cabinet movements as they passed through shipping doors — logging which cabinet exited through which door, at what time, and onto which truck. The combination of print-and-apply label generation with fixed reader infrastructure created a seamless, automated data capture loop requiring no manual scanning intervention.

Aya Kitchens & Bath’s in-house IT team integrated the RFID data feed directly into their own internal systems, enabling real-time cross-referencing of cabinet shipments against truck manifests.

The initial deployment required a second phase of optimization. After go-live, read accuracy was approximately 70%, which did not meet the required performance threshold. The RFID Canada team returned to the facility, reassessed the antenna configuration, and expanded coverage by installing additional antennas — bringing the system up to its current operating performance.

“The overall design was great — it was what we needed. Once we added more antennas, the system has been working great.” — Eric Wong, Process Engineer, Aya Kitchens & Bath.

Results

Since completing the second phase of deployment, the system has been operating at approximately 95% read accuracy — with the remaining variance attributed to third-party shipping partners and occasional handling practices outside of Aya Kitchens & Bath’s direct control.

Key outcomes include:

Shipping error visibility: Cabinets loaded onto the wrong truck are now logged automatically. Even when misdirection occurs due to human behavior, Aya Kitchens & Bath can immediately confirm which door a cabinet exited through, which truck was at that door, and which location received it — enabling swift resolution of disputes without bearing the cost of unnecessary remakes.

Documented cost recovery: Shortly after the second phase went live, the system helped confirm the delivery of 3 cabinets that had been disputed — preventing unnecessary remake costs in a single incident alone and providing clear audit evidence to resolve the claim immediately.

Scalable foundation for expansion: With the back-end deployment proven, Aya Kitchens & Bath is scaling RFID across the full facility — extending from finished goods tracking toward work-in-progress tracking across all production work cells. The architecture was designed from the outset to grow with the operation, allowing new read points, work cells, and locations to be added without rebuilding the core system. Associate locations that receive Aya Kitchens & Bath’s cabinets have also independently expressed interest in adopting compatible RFID systems for their own receiving operations — referrals that originated directly from their visible use of RFID labels on outbound shipments.

The Partnership

Aya Kitchens & Bath describes RFID Canada not as a vendor but as a true partner — a distinction credited not only to the quality of the technical solution delivered, but to the superior overall experience RFID Canada provides. From initial consultation through deployment, optimization, and ongoing support, the team’s commitment to top-notch quality and cost-efficient solutions has defined every stage of the engagement.

“When we have a problem and we reach out, the RFID Canada team replies really quickly and looks into it, working to figure out a solution. Over the years, once the system was stable, we haven’t had many issues — but when we did, they were there and they helped. That’s why I say RFID Canada is more like a partner than just a vendor that wants to sell you something.” — Eric Wong, Process Engineer, Aya Kitchens & Bath.

Looking Ahead

Aya Kitchens & Bath’s long-term vision reflects a commitment to operational excellence: full RFID integration across the entire facility — from raw material intake at the front of the production line all the way through to final shipment at the back. Their goal is nothing short of a fully connected, error-free manufacturing and distribution operation. The current deployment serves as the core foundation that will drive that broader expansion forward by stacking more use cases utilizing the same infrastructure.