An RFID pilot should prove that the tags you chose are read reliably, in the zones that matter, by the process your staff will actually follow. Agree the items, zones, read-rate targets and exception rules before buying hardware at scale, then measure them on a small, representative part of the warehouse.
Swedish Technology plans and runs RFID site surveys and pilots with measurable acceptance criteria. Support is available in Arabic, English and French.
What problem does this solve?
Pilots that only use easy cartons look successful and then fail at scale.
Metal, liquids and dense stacks reduce read reliability for standard UHF tags.
Read-rate targets taken from brochures do not reflect your items, packaging or site.
Reads that never update a WMS or ERP record add no operational value.
How the solution works
List item types and the zones where a read must happen before choosing readers.
Define portal read rate, cycle-count accuracy, stray reads and time per task, with a target and an owner for each.
Pilot one dock, one aisle and one dispatch gate that include your hardest items, small enough to count manually.
Test two or three tag types per item family before testing software.
Connect at least one event to the WMS or ERP test environment and test exceptions end to end.
- 1Items and zones List the tagged item types and the receiving, putaway, storage, picking and dispatch points where reads must happen.
- 2Metrics and targets Agree portal read rate, cycle-count accuracy, stray reads and time per task, based on your own baseline.
- 3Tag tests Test tag types per item family in a fixed position, recording read distance, orientation sensitivity and encoding failures.
- 4Reader and antenna setup Tune gate antenna height, angle and power to cover the doorway but not nearby storage; add direction logic where needed.
- 5System events Connect read events to the WMS or ERP test environment and define handling of unknown tags, duplicates and missing items.
- 6Acceptance review Compare results with targets, collect operator feedback and list changes required before rollout.
Limitations & prerequisites
- A pilot shows performance under the tested conditions only.
- Seasonal stock, new packaging or layout changes can change results, so repeat key measurements after go-live.
FAQ
Set the target per item type and zone from your own baseline and process needs, and agree who signs it off before the pilot starts.
Small enough to count manually, because the manual count is the reference, but it must include your hardest items.
No. Test tags and reader placement first; software cannot fix an unreliable read.
Planning an RFID pilot?
Share your items, zones and target system. Support is available in Arabic, English and French.
Request an RFID site surveyRFID Asset Management System
Swedish Technology supplies the complete RFID stack — UHF tags, handheld and fixed readers, gates, antennas, printers and the asset management platform — with the integration and RF engineering behind it.
Request RFID Solution PricingSources & evidence
- GS1 EPCIS — Event-data model reference.
- GS1 EPC UHF Gen2 air interface — UHF RFID air interface standard.
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