The challenge
Thousands of items move through an apparel warehouse every day, often tracked with manual barcode scanning or paper records. This is slow, labour-intensive and error-prone.
Reconciling inbound and outbound shipments takes time, stock counts are inaccurate and real-time inventory is invisible. The sheer number of size and colour variants makes precise tracking even harder.
The solution
Chainway's RFID solution covers the entire warehouse workflow:
- 1
Inbound receiving
tagged items are bulk-read as they pass through the RFID portal (fixed readers: URA4, U300, UR4); inbound data is captured instantly.
- 2
Inventory & stock management
handheld RFID readers (C72, C5, MC51) for cycle counting, locating items and real-time inventory.
- 3
Stocktaking & audit
fast, accurate stocktakes in minutes with handheld readers.
- 4
Tag binding & encoding
encode RFID tags and bind them to items with a desktop reader (R3, R3S) and an RFID printer (CP30).
- 5
Outbound shipping
bulk-verify outbound items at the RFID portal for shipment accuracy; inventory updates in real time.
The full system: RFID tags, data capture (portal and handhelds), Wi-Fi/LAN, application server, and finally a web portal and mobile app with real-time reports.
The result
The result:
- Fast and accurate bulk reading — hundreds of items at once
- Real-time inventory visibility
- Improved operational efficiency, reduced labour costs
- End-to-end traceability from receiving to shipping
Frequently asked questions
Which Chainway devices are needed for an apparel warehouse RFID system? Fixed readers (URA4, U300, UR4) at the portals, handheld readers (C72, C5, MC51) for counting, desktop readers (R3, R3S) and an RFID printer (CP30) for tagging.
How much faster is RFID than barcodes? RFID reads in bulk, without line of sight: hundreds of items in seconds, versus scanning barcodes one by one.
What is the RFID portal for in a warehouse? It automatically captures inbound and outbound goods with no manual intervention.
