TAGSYS guarantees RFID Six Sigma reads in pharma
By Staff -- Manufacturing Business Technology, 5/1/2007 12:00:00 AM
Drug manufacturers that sign up for TAGSYS' new Six Sigma Performance Program for item-level tagging are guaranteed fewer than four failed tag reads in a million—the level of quality TAGSYS asserts is necessary to meet regulatory mandates and reliable pedigree and chain-of-custody requirements.
“We're saying, here's your performance and your cost—moving the debate away from questions about the technology, about which frequency works best, so as to talk about the benefits,” says John Jordon, TAGSYS president of worldwide field operations. “The guarantee is not just about tag replacement, but about assuring performance on the line and coming back to retune it if need be. The object is to cut through the hype based on real data.”
Pharmaceutical manufacturers that subscribe to the monthly fee-based service for supporting track & trace at the item level must use TAGSYS readers, HF passive tags, and software; attain TAGSYS sign-off on the implementation design; and complete the acceptance testing.
If RFID item-level tagging performance falls below Six Sigma, TAGSYS will return to retune the installation at no additional charge. The offering also makes available a “tech refresh” option that allows customers to upgrade to new TAGSYS products as they are released. Currently the subscription service is available only in the pharmaceutical industry, but rollout to other industries is anticipated.
The Six Sigma level, Jordon says, is for reads after items have been successfully packed in cases. “Once you complete that process, we guarantee Six Sigma quality,” he says. “And not just as it leaves your facility, but in your distribution centers, too.”
TAGSYS partners onboard to deliver this performance guarantee include ODIN Technologies, SYSTECH International, and Alcan.
