Sycuan Turns to RFID to Keep Track of 20,000 Uniforms

Sycuan Casino will upgrade to InvoTech’s GIMS Ultra-High Frequency RFID Uniform System to realize greater control over tribal assets. Timed to the Casino’s renovation, with 1,600 team members in eight departments changing uniforms, the GIMS UHF Radio Frequency ID Uniform System will automate tracking of Sycuan Casino’s 20,000 apparel items via bulk electronic scanning without hand counting.

 

Sycuan Casino currently uses a barcode version of GIMS that was implemented in 2007 when it replaced a competitor with InvoTech for greater reporting accuracy. The GIMS system includes Fujitsu WT-A511 UHF-RFID laundry tags provided by Fujitsu Frontech North America sewn into Sycuan Casino’s apparel items.

“We do not have an in-house laundry facility, so it is important we track our team member’s garments to control our assets for the tribe,” says Vanessa Barbarin, purchasing manager for Sycuan Casino. “Our current InvoTech GIMS barcode system tracks team member’s uniforms and gives us greater accuracy, accounting for lost or damaged garments, which has a big effect on our operation’s bottom line. The new UHF RFID system will move Sycuan Casino to the next level of efficiency as we renovate the casino for a new look. The GIMS software will tell us exactly what our spend and savings are, and create a more efficient process. The cost reduction of lost and damaged garments will go directly to the bottom line.”

 

The UHF technology makes it possible to track the inventory in large batches rather than by single-piece barcode scans. InvoTech will install fully-automated UHF-RFID readers powered by Impinj in the hallway between the Casino’s loading dock and its uniform department. As clean and soiled uniforms are pushed through the hallway in bulk, the direction of the uniforms is detected to record if they are going to the laundry, or returning clean. This will reduce manual errors and ensure the casino always has accurate reporting of appropriate par stocks in inventory. No computer or user input is required; a light flashes to confirm the uniforms were processed into the GIMS Uniform System. InvoTech will also provide portable UHF-RFID handheld readers for the Casino’s monthly physical inventory which will significantly reduce the time and staff required to perform that task.

 

As part of its normal services, InvoTech specialists provide on-site system installation and training, and offer ongoing 24-hour customer support and software updates

InvoTech Systems will showcase its technologies during HITEC 2011 (booth #236), June 20 to 23, at the Austin County Convention Center.