Logistics processes in port and at sea more efficient with RFID
25 tons of fruit, 17,000 bottles of wine and 35,000 eggs go on board before a cruise ship with around 5,000 passengers sets sail.
These supplies will last for a week before being reloaded in the next port.
The logistical coordination on land and by the kitchen director and his team on board is a masterstroke.
Refrigerators and storerooms have to be intelligently stocked.
In the end, over 100 chefs will know exactly where which food is located.
The most perishable items must also be processed first.
When it comes to inventory management on board, smart technologies such as RFID bring one thing above all: transparency and efficiency.
And after years of financial losses in the industry, optimized processes should also save massive costs.
No excess stock and no bottlenecks
As in any good restaurant, costing on cruise ships is also geared towards ensuring that as much food as possible is fully utilized.
To achieve this, stocks must be precisely tracked and managed.
The more precise the inventory management, the less safety stock needs to be held.
Conversely, bottlenecks must also be avoided.
The labelling, identification and tracking of all goods on board optimizes warehousing, speeds up loading and unloading and ensures that all goods are recorded without errors.
RFID is perfect for the fast loading of supplies onto a ship
While guests get ready for their shore excursion, the stress begins for the provision master and his team.
They only have a small window of time to load several tons of food.
The heterogeneous goods arrive in refrigerated containers or on large wrapped pallets.
How do you make sure that all the supplies are on board on time and in full?
“Chefs on board a large cruise ship have no time at all to search for supplies. They need to know where everything is with the help of a system.”
The goods marked with RFID transponders can be fully recorded within seconds without visual contact using RFID reader gates as the forklift trucks pass through.
An electronic comparison with the order list provides those responsible with immediate information as to whether essential foodstuffs for the preparation of dishes are missing.
After all, missing ingredients cannot be spontaneously replenished at sea.
RFID is on board
- Bring transparency to your stocks
Avoid overstocking and bottlenecks - Optimize stock levels on board
Know the stock level in real time - Comply with regulations with RFID
Use RFID tags to monitor materials that need to be stored properly - Coordinate logistical processes more punctually
Offer all suppliers a single source of truth view
Application Examples
Recording of all supplies during loading on board via RFID handheld readers or RFID gates. Fast, automated, error-free and complete identification of all ordered food. Priority handling of refrigerated and perishable goods. Automated information about best-before dates. All employees receive a real-time view of precise inventory data on board for optimized processing and guest service.
The laundry cycle of towels, bed linen and tablecloths must be mapped automatically for several thousand guests in order to bring the cleaned textiles to where they are needed. The tagged laundry can not only be tracked on board, the status of each individual piece of laundry is known in real time.
Dirty, cleaned, ironed or delivered, the complete cycle is mapped. An efficient and sustainable process in housekeeping.
Cruise: Tailor-made Auto-ID & RFID solutions
The RF KonSys strategy for cruise companies
First understand, then act. With our RF KonSYS strategy approach, we look at each customer process individually. We listen to your teams and analyze.
We then validate through proof-of-concept and simulations. Our approach is agile and flexible. When we design and implement your tailor-made RF KonSys solution, your teams will quickly appreciate its benefits in their day-to-day work.
Advantages
- Inventory management
- Passenger wristbands
- Asset tracking on board
- Automated goods receipt
- Supply chain coordination
- Access management
- Laundry Tags
Case Studies | References
