Tag: Tagsurance 3

RAIN RFID encoding has traditionally taken place late in the production process, often across multiple parties and disconnected systems. This blog looks at why encoding workflows may be shifting, how integrating encoding with quality control can streamline production, and what new business opportunities this creates for converters, manufacturers, and other players in the value chain.

In most RAIN RFID production environments, tag personalization is done at a late stage in the production process — just before the label is attached to the item. This is partly due to legacy processes, but at the center lies one key issue: data for encoding, such as unique item-level information, is often only finalized late in the process. Many times, the personalization part of the process is also outsourced to a separate party.

Streamlining the production chain can open up new business opportunities. Label converters can take on a larger role by handling encoding during the converting process, or partial data can be encoded already at the chip attachment stage when the process and data flows support it.

Encoding can thus shift from being a costly bottleneck to becoming a competitive advantage. RAIN RFID tag volumes will continue to grow, and the need for encoding—one way or another—will grow with them. With efficient, scalable processes, the margin per encoded tag can increase, and with large volumes, this margin improvement becomes significant. 

In our previous blog, we looked at the most common encoding methods, compared desktop printers with inline systems, and broke down how their ROI differs as production volumes grow. While printers work well for small batches, inline encoding with integrated quality assurance provides clearly lower per-tag costs and better scalability at higher volumes.

Combining Steps in the Process

For converters or manufacturers already using an integrated quality control system in their inline machines, combining two steps into one is already possible today. 

It is possible to handle both quality control and high-speed encoding within a single system — no handoff or secondary systems required. Unlike desktop printer setups, these integrated solutions scale: production can start with a single line and expand by adding more lanes or stations as demand increases, lowering per-unit costs while improving speed, quality, and traceability.

Quality control is already implemented in most bonding machines producing RAIN RFID. By including encoding capabilities, these machines can integrate encoding and verification directly into the production line, simplifying the process and enabling concrete opportunities for optimization.

These changes demand a lot from both processes and people, and optimization is always case-specific. However, the technology is already available. Moving beyond how things are done today and recognizing the future opportunities strengthens the position of the organizations that act early as the market continues to grow and tag volumes increase.

Things to Consider When Scaling Up

As the demand for RAIN RFID tags continues to grow, companies in the value chain needs a clear plan for scaling up. Encoding solutions must be able to grow with rising tag volumes, so that doubling volumes does not double the cost or complexity.

Manual and fragmented encoding processes tend to limit scalability and squeeze margins, especially when desktop printers are pushed beyond the small-batch use cases where they work best. In contrast, inline encoding solutions with integrated quality control help keep per-tag costs low and support high-volume production.

Encoding is no longer just a technical step; it can become a strategic business lever. Companies that treat encoding as part of their value proposition — for example by combining encoding and quality testing into a single, streamlined process — improve efficiency, strengthen their role in the value chain, and position themselves for profitable growth as RAIN RFID adoption expands.

Get insights on Tagsurance 3 system with encoding feature in action.

In this on-demand demo webinar, we will walk you through the new system in practice.

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Encoding influences the total cost, speed, and efficiency across the entire RAIN RFID tag value chain, from manufacturing to the end customer. In this post, we look at the most common encoding methods, compare desktop printers with inline systems, and break down how their ROI differs as production volumes grow.

Encoding, or personalization, is a crucial step in the RAIN RFID value chain, as it provides the tag with the meaningful data required for its intended use. It allows the tagged item to be synchronized with systems like inventory management, unlocking countless use cases where users can identify, locate, authenticate, and interact with each item. Therefore, the majority of the tags are encoded before they are shipped out, or the label is applied.

Although personalization is essential for the end use, encoding can often be an inefficient or costly step in the workflow.

The Costs of Label Encoding

There are some finishing lines for the personalization, and for many, desktop RAIN RFID printers have served — and continue to serve — well for encoding. The printers offer low initial investment costs, ease of use, and are sufficient for small batches.

However, these systems don’t scale. Their limitations become apparent as production volumes grow or complexity increases. Many of the finishing line systems are self-made or one-off (few off) systems from miscellaneous suppliers. Less-than-perfect systems and processes introduce delays, raise per-label costs, and increase the risk of errors.

Ultimately, you’re paying not just for the hardware, but also for operator time — and, in the worst case, for material waste and quality issues.

Real cost of encoding:

• Hardware
• Operator time
• Unplanned downtime
• Waste
• Errors

Personalization can take place at several different stages of the value chain

Traditionally, personalization occurs in the final stages of RAIN RFID tag production, just before the tag is applied to its end-use item. In some cases, the inlay manufacturer handles encoding, selling inlays with customer-specific data already embedded. Label converters may encode and sell labels that already contain customer data.

RAIN RFID labels can also be encoded by service bureaus specializing in data management and encoding. End users may choose to purchase blank labels and perform encoding in-house. In addition, various intermediaries — such as system integrators or other service providers — may also handle encoding.

Regardless of who performs the encoding, the key question remains: how to encode in a cost-efficient way.

The comparison: when inline encoding is the better option

Larger machines are needed to address the scalability limitations of desktop printers. Industrial-grade RAIN RFID machines today can produce and encode tags at speeds ranging from 1,000 to over 1,000,000 units per hour. 

But speed alone isn’t the breakthrough. The question is at which point the investment becomes viable. For example, frequently starting and stopping a high-speed machine makes little sense if only small batches are being produced.

We have worked on some comparisons to evaluate the benefits and ROI of the industrial-scale encoding solution. The comparison and the key parameters are shown in the table below.

For short runs and smaller operations, printers still earn their place. Yet when volumes grow, the economics shift: inline encoding outperforms by delivering higher throughput, dramatically lower per-tag costs, and built-in quality assurance. In other words, if you’re preparing for mid to high-volume RFID adoption that meets the quality standards, inline encoding is the strategy that keeps your production efficient — and your business competitive.

Get insights on Tagsurance 3 system with encoding feature in action.

In this on-demand demo webinar, we will walk you through the new system in practice.

Watch now