Tracking solutions for yard management
Benefits
Real-time control of outdoor assets and yard operations
Manufacturing and logistics companies face a number of common challenges when managing outdoor yards and other outdoor storage sites.
Finished and unfinished goods, pallets, containers and vehicles are constantly moving across large, unstructured areas where manual processes and barcode scanning struggle to deliver accuracy.
RFiD Discovery provides tracking solutions for yard management that deliver real-time visibility, control and automation across outdoor yards, storage areas and truck loading docks, helping businesses to reduce errors, improve efficiency and optimise operations.
Technologies used in yard tracking solutions
We utilise a range of technologies including RFID, BLE, UWB, GPS, LoRa, RTLS and more within our yard management tracking solutions. The most appropriate technology is selected based on yard size, the type of asset being tracked and operational complexity.
Using the RFiD Discovery software platform, operations teams are able to instantly find individual or groups of assets, saving time and increasing productivity.
Unlike manual or barcode-based processes, these solutions:
- Work without line-of-sight
- Operate reliably in outdoor and metal-rich environments
- Provide real-time asset location and movement data
- Integrate with ERP, WMS and TMS platforms
This makes them ideal for industrial, logistics and manufacturing yards.
Benefits of tracking assets across yards and outdoor environments
- Real-time tracking of goods, pallets, containers and vehicles, without line-of-sight requirements
- Reduced search time across outdoor storage areas, improving productivity
- Fewer loading and dispatch errors, ensuring the right goods are loaded onto the right vehicle
- Improved yard efficiency and throughput through better coordination of asset movements
- Better utilisation of returnable transport items (RTIs), reducing loss and replacement costs
- Seamless integration with ERP and WMS systems, providing accurate, auditable operational data
- Scalable deployment across multiple yards and sites, supporting UK, European and global operations
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Aubert & Duval boosts safety and cuts forklift handling time by 75% with RFiD Discovery’s LiftTrak
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Yard management
Challenge: Limited control over assets in outdoor yards
Yard management often involves handling high volumes of finished and unfinished goods dispersed across wide outdoor areas. Without accurate tracking, assets can be difficult to locate, leading to time wasted searching for items, incorrect containers being loaded and unloading overruns going undetected.
This lack of control can impact on productivity and potentially increase operational risk.
Solution: Real-time yard asset tracking
RFiD Discovery delivers real-time tracking solutions for yard management that automatically locate and identify assets across outdoor storage areas.
A variety of assets can be tracked in outdoor environments including:
- Stored goods and work-in-progress
- Pallets and containers
- Forklifts, trolleys and yard vehicles
Our range of solutions for tracking assets and inventory in outdoor spaces include the revolutionary LiftTrak solution which uses forklift mounted RFID readers. We also offer solutions using other technologies such as LoRa or GPS.
Truck loading dock management
Challenge: Truck loading dock errors and lack of control
To reduce costs while ensuring customer loyalty it is vital that operations managers avoid logistical errors such as a misplaced load on the wrong truck or missing items.
The challenge is to ensure that every pallet or load is matched to the correct truck or container, in line with ERP or WMS orders.
However, In busy truck loading docks, a lack of real-time visibility can lead to increased costs, delays and reduced customer satisfaction.
Solution: Real-time truck loading dock visibility with RFID and RTLS
RFiD Discovery provides real-time loading dock visibility by tracking the location of goods and assets across yards, warehouses and loading docks without the need for manual scanning.
Our LiftTrak system uses a combination of an ultra-accurate RTLS solution that positions forklifts in real-time combined with passive RFID to identify containers and goods, so they can be located across yards and warehouses.
Outdoor RFID supply chain portals capture data from RFID-tagged goods and assets on passing vehicles.
All our solutions integrate with existing ERP and WMS systems, ensuring accurate loading and location data is available across the organisation.
Returnable transport items (RTIs)
Challenge: Loss and inefficiency in closed-loop RTI management
Returnable Transport Items (RTIs) such as pallets, stillages and containers must be managed across shipping, storage, yard operations and reverse logistics.
Without automated tracking, RTIs can become lost, underutilised or replaced unnecessarily, increasing costs across the supply chain.
Solution: Automated RTI tracking
Our RTI tracking solution allows the location of pallets and goods to be tracked throughout the supply chain without the need for manual scanning.
Using low-cost passive RFID tags and forklift-mounted readers, RTIs can be tracked automatically as they move through yards and warehouses, without the need for expensive fixed infrastructure.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Why are tracking solutions important for yard management?
Yards are typically large, unstructured environments where assets move frequently. Without automated tracking, organisations experience lost assets, long search times, loading errors and inefficient yard movements. Tracking solutions help to improve yard management by improving control, accuracy and operational efficiency.
Can yard tracking solutions work across multiple sites?
Yes. RFiD Discovery’s solutions support scalable, multi-site deployments with centralised visibility.
What types of assets can be tracked in a yard and other outdoor environments ?
A wide variety of assets can be tracked in yards and other outdoor environments, including:
- Pallets and containers
- Returnable Transport Items (RTIs)
- Finished and unfinished goods
- Forklifts, trolleys and yard vehicles
- Tools, racks and large industrial assets
This makes them suitable for logistics, manufacturing and industrial yards that are looking for a solution to keep track of high value assets and other inventory items.
Are tracking solutions suitable for harsh or industrial environments?
Yes. Our tracking solutions can be deployed in metal-dense, outdoor and industrial environments, including manufacturing plants, logistics hubs and heavy industry sites. This makes them suitable for asset and inventory management within yards and other outdoor environments.
