Cases Archive • PHI DATA

The works of art you see in a museum are usually only a small part of the entire collection. The remaining works are stored in their inventory or have been loaned to other museums. The fact that they do not hang in plain sight does not prevent them from needing to be managed and inventoried just as much. To simplify that process and make it more reliable, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (RMFAB) in Brussels turned to Simac PHI DATA. The RMFAB, founded in 1801 by Napoleon, is a federal institution and belongs to the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO).

The RMFAB has altogether 20,000 works of art from the 15^th century to the present (paintings, sculptures, drawings, etc.) and is composed of several museums: Magritte Museum, Fin-de-sciècle Museum, Old Masters Museum, Meunier Museum and the Wiertz Museum. Based on the number of annual visitors, the RMFAB is the largest museum in Belgium.

KMSKB uses IDasset for their inventory — Forum ©Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique/Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten

The total collection is invaluable and should be managed properly. Taking an annual inventory, by the way, is a legal requirement. Many of the inventory processes are still manual (first on sheets, now in spreadsheets), but as part of the modernisation of the entire IT system (infrastructure, bureaucracy, tooling), this is changing. “Keeping an inventory manually is not only error-prone, but also very time-intensive, and therefore expensive,” says IT manager Benoît Lécaillier of the RMFAB. “Moreover, the works will have to be rescheduled in the near future due to planned renovations.”

Simple, reliable and secure inventory

When choosing to digitalise the inventory, simplicity, reliability and security were paramount. So the museums ended up with Simac PHI DATA, which provided a total solution consisting of RFID tags, mobile RFID readers, fixed antennas and the software IDasset®. Simac PHI DATA came out on top in a market survey.

Criteria included building a long-term relationship with the supplier, a favourable cost and the user-friendliness of the solution. “The solution must be easy to use by collection custodians, the data must be reliable, and the data must be able to be secured,” says Benoît Lécaillier. “Only the four collection custodians and the curators are allowed to know where a work is in storage, so that information may only be consulted by them.”

Thanks to IDasset®, RMFAB knows not only where a work is in storage, but also when and where they were moved. “Contrary to what one might think, a lot of things move in a museum,” says Francisca Vandepitte, who, as curator of modern art at RMFAB, is responsible for all the paintings and sculptures from between 1900 and 1968, “but mainly behind the scenes. Works are loaned to other museums at home and abroad, or moved within the reserves. The idea is to be able to know instantly where an artwork is located at any time.”

All the information recorded in IDasset® is synchronised bidirectionally with the RMFAB’s own collection database, Fabritius. Simac PHI DATA was responsible for developing the interface between IDasset® and Fabritius. “Simac PHI DATA did a very thorough analysis and constantly coordinated the work with Axiell, the company that developed Fabritius. Thanks to this thorough analysis, the synchronisation works perfectly,” says Benoît Lécaillier.

DSC 4031 — Lawrence Weiner, (OFTEN) MOVED ABOUT (# 399 / 400). # 399 WITH RELATION TO REASON / (OFTEN) MOVED ABOUT. # 400 (OFTEN) MOVED ABOUT / WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF [A] REASON (SOUVENT) DÉPLACÉ (# 399 / 400). # 399 EN RAPPORT À LA RAISON / (SOUVENT) DÉPLACÉ. # 400 (SOUVENT) DÉPLACÉ / DANS LE CONTEXTE DE LA [D’UNE] RAISON (1974), Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique/Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten, Bruxelles/Brussel, photo/foto : Odile Keromnes

Close collaboration

The collection custodians were involved in the choice of RFID readers. All the actions they take needed to be as simple as possible to perform. They should be able to print RFID tags easily, read tags when moving artworks, and take an inventory easily. On the RFID readers, they can consult IDasset®. This allows them to quickly see whether or not an artwork is hanging in place.

The handhelds can be adjusted to read RFID tags both from a great distance (for example, for all the works hanging in one particular room) and up close, such as when the works are located in a Compactus filing cabinet. These heavy metal filing cabinets form a Faraday cage, making it impossible to scan all the works at once.

The project began with a pilot project involving some 50 works. “We chose works here that had no inventory problems,” says Francisca Vandepitte. “We mainly wanted to test the functionality, without making things complex by starting with all kinds of exceptions.” The pilot project allowed the RMFAB to test the application in different conditions, determine exactly where the tags could be applied, and verify that synchronisation worked properly.

At the same time, based on this test, procedures were further modified to reduce the number of operations. The collection custodians also asked to be able to put different information on the RFID tags than originally envisioned. These improvements make it easy to inventory the rest of the collection. In time, other functionality may be added. “That’s futuristic,” says Benoît Lécaillier, “we wanted above all to start with a simple and feasible solution and not make anything too complex.”

One of the results that will be seen the quickest when all the works are tagged is taking the annual inventory. “This is work that takes several months right now,” as Francisca Vandepitte knows. “The collection custodians have to perform that inventory on top of their regular work, so that takes up a lot of time. I suspect we will soon be able to talk about weeks instead of months, thanks to RFID tags and IDasset®.”

Real partnership

“We worked extremely well with Simac PHI DATA,” says Benoît Lécaillier. “We couldn’t be more satisfied with their project management and the quality of their solution. They made sure everything was progressing well. They listened carefully to our needs and based their advice on that. Simac PHI DATA helped us ensure that it didn’t become a purely technical project, but that some real thought was given to how users could work optimally with the solution. “

“It is very important to be able to work together as true partners and consult with each other a great deal. A museum is a very complex entity. No-one knows our context better than ourselves, so you have to be able to work with a partner who is open to this specificity and takes it into account when developing the project,” says Benoît Lécaillier.

Francisca Vandepitte is also very pleased with the collaboration with Simac PHI DATA. “I’m involved in this project as an art historian, so I’ve learned a lot in the meantime. What I especially liked about the collaboration is that the engineers spoke an understandable language, without any specific jargon. I never felt uncomfortable during any conversations with Simac PHI DATA, hence how we were able to make rapid progress in joint dialogue. Simac PHI DATA was also always reachable, available and willing to answer questions,” concludes Francisca Vandepitte.

Changing legislation and the desire to simplify existing processes prompted the Renmans group to equip its butcheries with two new applications, for inventory and for product traceability, respectively. For both apps, they turned to Simac PHI DATA, which also supplied the Zebra handhelds for easy use by employees.

Simplify processes, improve regulatory compliance

Taking inventory is an important activity in a butcher shop. On the one hand, there is monthly financial inventory for accounting purposes; on the other hand, weekly inventories are also made, which form the basis for orders from the stores to the distribution center. Inventories that are done manually, for example by writing down the quantities on a sheet, take several hours. Renmans wanted to simplify and speed up this process by digitizing it.

On the other hand, there is also increasing pressure from government agencies concerned about food safety. They want butcheries to be able to trace exactly which products are used in prepared meals and preparations: which meat was used, where did it come from, which spices were added, when were the preparations made,…. All that data is now digitally maintained at Renmans butcheries.

Custom software built by Simac PHI DATA

For both digitization projects, Renmans turned to Simac PHI DATA, a long-standing partner for scanners and label printers, among other things. Its own internal IT department drew up a comprehensive analysis for both the Inventory App (for taking inventory) and the TraceAbility App (for tracking all ingredients in preparations), and Simac PHI DATA developed the customized applications. “Above all, we wanted the applications to be easy to use,” says Yves Hutsebaut, Information Systems Manager at Brabhold. “There is off-the-shelf software that can take care of this as well, but it usually offers too many functionalities that are not used anyway, but interfere with user-friendliness. In the end, it was more advantageous to have custom software built by Simac PHI DATA than to buy a standard package of which we only needed 20% of the functionality.” Besides being easy to use, the apps also needed to be able to function when used offline. “When you need to take inventory in a fridge, the Wi-Fi coverage is not always optimal and sometimes not available at all,” said Hutsebaut.

Simac PHI DATA wrote not only the apps fully customized for the butcher shops, but also the integration with the underlying ERP system so that data can be easily exchanged via web services (for the TraceAbility App) and via web services and FTP transfer (for the inventory).

Pilot phase leads to choice of Zebra handhelds

In addition, Simac PHI DATA also gave recommendations for the handheld terminals used in butcher shops to scan meat products. In a pilot phase, two different devices were tested in about 30 branches. In the end, the Zebra TC7X series emerged as the winner, in part because it features a ‘pistol grip’ that can be easily attached to the handheld. Again, it was chosen for its ease of use. “The handy thing is that you can also just leave that pistol grip in place when the handheld is placed in a cradle for charging,” said Hutsebaut. “Both the devices themselves and the software are very easy to use. We didn’t have to do any real training, a few lines of explanation were enough to get everyone going.”

To manage the devices, Simac PHI DATA implemented Soti’s Mobile Device Management tool ‛MobiControl’. This is primarily used for remote access on the handhelds. “If someone in a butcher shop has a problem with their device, we can centrally take over the screen and solve the problem remotely.” For commissioning new devices, Simac PHI DATA developed a configuration application so that, for example, a new branch can very quickly fully configure a PDA without much parameterization.

Faster, and with fewer errors

The digitization project with the Inventory App and the TraceAbility App offers several advantages:

Time savings: monthly inventory used to easily take two to three hours. A charcuterie assortment easily consisted of 100 to 150 references. That process has now been reduced to an average of less than an hour.
Better compliance procedures: the company auditor only allows butcher shops to start their monthly inventory after an agreed time. By working with an app, this starting time can be enforced. This guarantees a more accurate monthly inventory.
Fewer errors: before digitization, everything was noted down on paper, forwarded by fax or mail to the central accounting department, where all the data had to be re-entered.
Faster reporting: because nothing has to be entered manually, the total inventory can be closed several days faster. There used to be easily fifteen to twenty pages of inventory per branch, which obviously takes a lot of time to transcribe.
Better control of expiration date: the application notifies if a product has only 2 days left to be sold. This allows products to go into quick sale earlier, resulting in less food being lost.
Compliance: Renmans can now meet legal obligations for traceability and food safety.

“I am delighted with Simac PHI DATA,” Hutsebaut concluded. “They gave us good advice and the software was written exactly as specified in our analysis.”

Vote for Simac PHI DATA as IT Project of the Year in Health

Hospitals work with taxpayers’ money, so they try to handle available budgets as carefully as possible. To use medical equipment as efficiently as possible and avoid investments, the Ostend hospital AZ Ostend started a track-and-trace project in cooperation with Blyott and PHI DATA.

AZ Ostend is a future-oriented general hospital that strives to provide quality healthcare for the population of Ostend and the surrounding region. AZ Damiaan had 500 beds. At the end of 2023, AZ Damiaan merged with the second Ostend hospital Henri Serruys to form AZ Ostend.

Hospitals are increasingly driven by data, including to guide investment decisions, or to make operations more efficient. Various types of medical equipment (ventilators, syringe pumps, monitors…) and other equipment (beds, wheelchairs…) are used in hospitals, some more expensive than others. That is why AZ Ostend undertook a market study three years ago to use the available resources more efficiently, for example by sharing equipment between departments, and by making the operation of the lending center more efficient. At the same time, consideration was also given to improving preventive maintenance by the biotechnical department that manages the medical equipment.

Replacement of manual processes

Prior to setting up the track&trace project, the management of the equipment was mainly done through forms that were filled out manually. A formality that was sometimes forgotten in the rush to use the equipment! Finding lost equipment then became quite a job.

During the market survey, AZ Ostend took a number of criteria into account:

The system had to be able to use the hospital’s existing WiFi network. This way, the entire hospital is covered and AZ Ostend did not have to set up a new network of access points.
The tags should have a long service life. Thus, AZ Ostend should not replace batteries too often.
The software must be easily accessible and user-friendly so that it is usable by all hospital staff.
Broad accuracy: equipment should be retrievable to within five to ten meters.
The price of the complete system.

Based on these criteria, the Blyott system emerged as the winner, also because AZ Ostend obtained information from other satisfied Blyott users such as AZ Maria Middelares (Ghent) and Jan Yperman (Ypres). Blyott’s Bluetooth-based, real-time location-based system excels not only because of its easy installation and long battery life but, thanks to its web interface, it is also easy for anyone to use.

The system consists of the tags, which are attached to the devices, and a Web portal on which users can enter their searches. Eventually, 800 devices will be tagged.

Close collaboration between AZ Ostend, PHI DATA and Blyott

The rollout of the system was done in collaboration with PHI DATA, with whom AZ Ostend has been working for some time, for, among other things, the patient anti-run away system (based on SECURITAS Healthcare’s MobileView solution) and the handheld scanners used for the distribution of medication and the scanning of the care tapes used to identify patients. “We are delighted with the service provided by PHI DATA,” says Bart Dejaegher, medical equipment and care processes staff member. “PHI DATA thinks along with us about applications, e.g. for additional use cases or to further improve the ease of use. PHI DATA knows which other healthcare organizations are using Blyott and can refer us to them, or inquire about issues for us themselves. A project is also currently underway with PHI DATA to see how we can link the data from the Blyott tags with Power BI for in-depth analysis.

Phased rollout leads to high acceptance rate by users

Since early 2023, all AZ Ostend employees have had access to the software. The rollout was gradual, with a number of superusers first being able to use the software. That way, feedback could be collected, for example on the use of the correct search terms. In a second phase, priority users were given access, who are often borrowing devices from other departments. In the third phase, head nurses were added. Thus, the system was fully prepared for rollout throughout the hospital. Because of the phased rollout, everyone had heard about this new service by word of mouth, and many were highly motivated to get started.

“At this stage, for our track-and-trace project, we are focusing on medical equipment, not the 500 beds and the 100 stretchers,” said Dejaegher. “We are now looking primarily at the medical equipment we lend hospital-wide through the lending service, and equipment that is sometimes lent from one service to another.” For example, not every department has an ECG machine, but departments can borrow it (and return it) from one of the six care units that do have one.

For the phased rollout of the Blyott tags, AZ Ostend first looks at urgency: what equipment is most frequently lent between departments, or what equipment is most often requested from the lending service. “In addition, we also tag small devices that often get lost. A pain pump is not that big, but it costs 1,500 euros,” said Dejaegher. “The chances of such a device being misplaced, accidentally disappearing in waste disposal or ending up in a patient’s luggage are high.”

In a short time already measurable results

The benefits of the Blyott system for AZ Ostend are many. Some have been realized already, others will become possible after the system is linked to Power BI:

Saving time: locating a medical device used to easily take up to half an hour. A simple search on the PC or laptop now learns, in seconds, in which area the device is located. So you recover the device in less than five minutes.
Deferring investments: it is now easy to analyze how often a device was borrowed. Thus, data objectify possible investment requests. Based on hard data, investments can also be deferred for equipment that is borrowed less frequently.
Better distribution of resources across departments: AZ Ostend has visibility into which departments borrow devices more often. So devices can be assigned to that care unit so that they are available faster.
Greater hospital staff satisfaction: it is important for staff members’ well-being that they quickly find their own – lent-out – equipment.

Future prospects

By working with the tags and the software of Blyott and through the cooperation with PHI DATA, which further guides the implementation and provides the appropriate support, it becomes clear to AZ Damiaan what future prospects this system still offers. “The tags are constantly evolving and Blyott wants to further develop them with us,” said Dejaegher. “And PHI DATA is thinking along with us about new use cases.”

AZ Damiaan is already thinking about, among other things:

Patient flow, where a patient can be followed from admission, through the services they go through. This can lead to better flow capacity management.
Linking the Blyott system to the Ultimo software that contains a database of all equipment.
Link with Power BI for further data analysis.
Rollout to the Serruys campus with which AZ Ostend merges at the end of 2023.
Output monitoring: items of equipment can occasionally disappear in the waste disposal, or leave the hospital in a patient’s luggage. If an item disappears from the hospital, an alarm can be raised. AZ Damiaan is currently investigating how best to route that alarm.

“It is a great advantage for us that PHI DATA is not only present in the hospital sector. We have already learned a lot from their expertise of logistic processes in other sectors and how other sectors deal with the flow of materials and distribution chains. Thanks to PHI DATA, we discover additional things that we can track with the Blyott tags. In this way we are constantly improving the efficiency of our processes. “

Vote for Simac PHI DATA as IT Project of the Year in Health

The CRA-W (Walloon Agricultural Research Centre) plays an essential role in the sustainable development of the agro-food industry in Wallonia. The Centre continuously conducts between 100 and 200 research projects in the domains of precision agriculture and breeding, risk management and product knowledge enhancement. In the agricultural context, various research has been conducted into in vitro micropropagation.¹

In vitro micropropagation is a plant biotechnology used for cloning plants through diverse methods of cell, tissue and organ culture. It has many demanding requirements in regards to explants, asepsis, culture media, growth containers and the control of macro- and micro-environmental conditions in a laboratory and for cell culture.²

Traceability

The in vitro laboratory at the CRA-W has been conducting many experiments on a wide range of plant species and varieties for over thirty years. The lack of a digitalised traceability system has proven to be a cause for the loss of important information, a higher risk of tagging errors and difficulties in monitoring existing stocks.

To face the complexities of the practical functioning of a laboratory head on, the CRA-W called on PHI DATA, an integrator of specialised ICT solutions, with the goal of developing an automated and precise identification and tagging system. The required solution aimed to standardise the daily work tasks of technical staff, to ensure the traceability of all activity by integrating it automatically into a database and, through this system, to achieve quality objectives of standardisation (ISO). Furthermore, the solution also needed to provide a day-to-day picture of the entirety of the cultures present within the laboratory, in order to ensure better management of all activities, allow for the swift retrieval of information about the history of a culture (the technical manager at each stage of transplanting, growth media used, movements of the cultures…), in order to better interpret the observed results and increase the efficiency and performance of the laboratory, obtain an accurate picture of the work conducted inside the laboratory, especially to implement clear evaluations, and, finally, to ensure the continued development of an innovative traceability system for in vitro cultures.

Barcode system

On the basis of an analysis of the specific needs of the CRA-W and following a computer analysis of the management process for the different key criteria for the optimisation of the automated process of identification and tagging, PHI DATA proposed a tailored solution. This solution consists of 6 workstations each equipped with a mobile terminal on which is installed a mobile application, and a printer with pre-label removal. A centralized PC, on which are installed the server application and the database tracing all the activities, completes the solution.

The application rests on the implementation of a solution for identifying and reading barcodes to trace a plant contained within a growth container, from its in vitro introduction, throughout all stages of micropropagation and until it is sent to producers. The information gathered at the work stations is sent to the centralised PC, which will display information pertaining to the management of culture stocks, the upstream-downstream history of a culture, the multiplication quantity of an original bottle, the list and number of bottles in which a culture has expired, and, in fine, for determining which parameters have proven to be the most favourable to the growth of a culture.

Reduce errors and optimize processes

This identification and tagging system has now been implemented, and has led to a drastic reduction in the risk of tagging errors (95%), better knowledge of stock, generation numbers, etc. through complete and operational traceability, evaluations of the contamination levels of cultures, optimal staff management (monitoring of the number of boxes handled per day), the optimisation of purchasing management through a better idea of the amount of work that is feasible within a certain period, and the possibility of meeting the demands of the FASFC, in regards to the origin and traceability of cultures, particularly when plants are exported to specialised clients, mostly nursery owners.

Pascal Geerts, scientific attaché for the CRA-W, concludes that “this identification and tagging system is a relatively advanced system that makes simplification possible for production-only laboratories.” He adds that the system is very functional, in regards to multiplication management in the laboratory and that, in the future, traceability could be even further improved upstream, in terms of the preparation of growth media, and downstream, in terms of storage in greenhouses.

References

CRA-W, http://www.cra.wallonie.be/en/cra-w, consultation date 25 August 2019
Loberant B. and Altman A. Micropropagation of Plants. Encyclopedia of Industrial Biotechnology: Bioprocess, Bioseparation, and Cell Technology 2010 – https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470054581.eib442

The Antwerp GZA hospitals with three campuses (Sint-Augustinus, Sint-Jozef and Sint-Vincentius) and over 1,000 beds take care of over a quarter of the medical care in the Antwerp area. GZA was looking for a solution for real-time monitoring of the temperature of blood pouches, food and/or medication, that would fire an alert when the temperature exceeds a pre-set threshold.

Challenge: Quality control in a hospital environment

“Quality control in hospital circles is very important. We carry out very strict checks when it comes to respecting temperatures. We therefore needed a flexible and reliable solution, which allowed us to follow all regulations and at the same time could limit the amount of administrative work”, says Achiel Lejon, responsible for the infrastructure of GZA.

Several solutions were examined. The choice of GZA fell on PHI DATA and AeroScout.

Solution: flexibility and integration with existing infrastructure

Using 230 AeroScout T5 Sensor Wi-Fi tags, that are located in the cooling cells, the management platform MobileView manages the temperature wirelessly, creates automatic reports and fires an alert when the temperature suddenly increases or decreases. All this within the wireless network that is currently in use at the different campuses of the hospital group, which enabled a quick implementation without any inconvenience for medical staff or patients.

Other applications, such as staff safety are currently being tested. As central hospital GZA is increasingly confronted with aggression and security risks. About 30 employees of the Saint-Vincentius hospital were equipped with a Wi-Fi tag with call button that they can press when there is danger or when they feel threatened. The security services are notified and can easily locate them, allowing them to assist them faster.

Result: Multifunctionality and the option to add new applications

“Multifunctionality is the biggest advantage of the PHI DATA solution: we get a framework on which to build further,” says Jan de Sitter, responsible for ICT at GZA. “On the one hand, the solution is easy to integrate with the existing Wi-Fi network and on the other hand it allows us to integrate new RFID functionality at a limited cost. Our staff safety is already in testing phase. The localisation of medical equipment (such as wheelchairs) is an option we are already investigating.”

“PHI DATA is a partner that not only delivers technology, but thinks along with the customer and understands the needs of the healthcare sector”, says Wim Verduyn, AeroScout Manager Benelux & France. “Based on our Visibility Solutions, we offer healthcare institutions an affordable solution, that can be integrated in the existing infrastructure and that has proven its solidity.”

“Multifunctionality is the biggest advantage of the PHI DATA solution: we get a framework on which to build further. On the one hand the solution can be perfectly integrated with the existing Wi-Fi network and on the other hand it allows us to integrate new RFID functionality at a limited cost.”

Jan de Sitter, Responsible for ICT at GZA

Fabricom, specializing in innovative technical installations and services for energy, has signed a contract with Quentris worth approximately €1 million. The project comprises over 92,000 pieces of tools and materials that will be equipped with RFID tags. By simplifying its materials management in this way Fabricom gets a better view, in real time, of the stock and the incoming and outgoing material. For the implementation Quentris called on PHI DATA, specialist in innovative technologies including product identification and tracking. For Belgium, this extensive RFID project is a first.

Need for automation

A dozen branches of Fabricom provide tools and materials to hundreds of different sites all over Belgium. Managing all 92,000 items had not been automated so far and required a large investment in time and money. Fabricom was looking for a solution to accurately identify the different pieces, to track and trace them when they entered or left a branch or a site, and to reduce the manual input and error rate.

With this RFID project Fabricom wants to improve the internal processes, which will also benefit its customers. For the project deployment the company relies on daughter company Quentris and auto-ID specialist PHI DATA. The latter is responsible for the implementation of the RFID tags (Radio Frequency Identification) and the corresponding reading systems, such as mobile computers and the user interface for them. As project leader, Quentris takes care of the integration with Fabricom’s ERP (SAP) for the data processing and the implementation of a new wireless Cisco network.

Robust RFID solution

Given the extreme conditions to which the material at Fabricom often is exposed, the company chose for material identification via radio technology. After several ‘stress tests’ the appropriate RFID tags were selected. These tags can be attached in a simple way to ladders, lifting material, drills, welding stations, generators etc. and cover the life of the material.

“In a first phase all items will be equipped with an RFID tag. By linking with the ERP system Fabricom can easily manage the material orders. Gradually, we can then evolve towards an active RFID environment, in which the material is tracked from beginning to end. This allows for example, to better analyse yards and associated costs, to speed up processes and to streamline the inspection of the materials. Once there are Wi-Fi networks available on yards, the materials are also easier to locate and they can be found much quicker when lost,” says Erik Cotman, Business Development Manager at PHI DATA.

“With this project we clearly demonstrate that innovation is of paramount importance for Fabricom also internally. By improving our own processes also our external customers notice an additional advantage. We see this as a true investment towards the market. Obviously, we have set high standards regarding the durability of the tags, the data processing, the user-friendliness of the interface and the SAP integration. Quentris, as projectleider, and PHI DATA have used their joint knowledge in order to comly with these.” says Luc Masquelin, Operations Support Services Manager at Fabricom.

Jan Lamaire, General Manager at Quentris: “Quentris and PHI DATA cooperated regularly in the past? This was not our first project. However, this is the largest project ever: an RFID project with almost 100,000 assets is unheard of in Belgium. We hope that this feat is the beginning of a strategic collaboration, especially since we see an increase in demand for these RFID solutions and together with PHI DATA we can offer a professional and complete package.”

In September 2010 Quentris and PHI DATA started the pilot phase, in January 2011 the roll-out followed. Given the complexity of this comprehensive project, the delivery of a first functional part is expected between June and September 2011.

When COVID-19 took hold of our country, every hospital had to provide the necessary infrastructure for the treatment of infected patients in a hurry. This meant not only extra beds, but also a solution for the response system without an extensive investment in additional cabling and network provision. The GZA Hospitals in and around Antwerp completed the job thanks to a group effort with PHI DATA.

The GZA (GasthuisZusters Antwerpen) Ziekenhuizen vzw is an organisation consisting of three campuses: Sint-Augustinus in Wilrijk, Sint-Jozef in Mortsel and Sint-Vincentius in Antwerp, together accounting for more than 900 recognised beds, and an outpatient clinic on the left bank of Antwerp.

When the coronavirus unleashed its terror on our country, GZA, too, had to think on its feet to cope with the expected influx of COVID-19 patients. That is how pain clinics and orthopaedics wards were transformed into additional emergency wards. This represented an enormous logistical challenge: not only did we have to equip the rooms there with the necessary beds, lighting and medical facilities, but other facilities – indispensable for an emergency ward – also have to be made available. An emergency response system is certainly one of them.

PHI DATA: fast and reliable

When GZA was considering the best solution for a patient emergency response system, they soon realised that PHI DATA could provide that solution, says Jared Willems, Head of the Engineering Department at GZA: “We had already purchased such a solution from PHI DATA some time before, to be used during refurbishment projects. So we knew that this was a reliable and affordable solution for us in this exceptional situation. A solution that was, moreover, already known to our nursing staff and where we did not have to fear for user acceptance. The only problem was, we had to be able to access it quickly.”

Upon inquiry, it appeared that the requested number of systems were not immediately available and that some appliances still had to be delivered from abroad. “A small delay, that’s true,” Geert Palmans, Engineering staff member at GZA, reminisces, “but that was perfectly accommodated by the PHI DATA team. As soon as the appliances were available, our contact Wim Verduyn delivered them in person.”

No hassle with cables

The installation and configuration went extremely smoothly. There are two reasons for this, according to Geert Palmans: “First of all, we already had PHI DATA solutions in place, including for temperature measurements, and so it was easier to link the solution to existing software for sending signals, forwarding these to the nurses on duty and processing the calls. Secondly, the solution itself is also extremely easy to configure: battery-powered and connected via Wi-Fi, so no cabling was needed. This makes it ideal for fast and temporary solutions such as this one.”

What’s more, the ease of use for patients and nurses was ideal, explains Geert Palmans: “Before commissioning, the nurses were asked how they prefer to receive the calls. They opted for alerts on the MobileView software platform on the PCs, where the alarms can be received both auditively and visually, and – via a link to our Mobicall alarm server – on their DECT devices, which they always carry with them.” The patient can easily operate the alarm system, by pressing the large push button with alarm bell, by pulling the supplied pull cord, or by squeezing the air bulb. “Then the alarm remains active until a nurse arrives and presses the smaller green button to deactivate the alarm,” adds Geert Palmans.

Ready for the unexpected

As the disease waned, the need for extra beds for COVID-19 patients disappeared. And the response systems for the extra beds could be stowed away again. Nevertheless, Jared Willems does not see this as a lost expense: “Now that we have the system in place and we know we can rely on it, we can respond very quickly to future requests for (urgent) temporary nurse response systems. Think, for example, of a possible new coronavirus surge, or as part of a contingency plan. But also in the event of planned repairs, such as replacing the existing fixed nurse response systems while a ward remains in use, or in the event of the existing system seriously malfunctioning. All we need to do is take it out of storage, configure it and you’re good to go!”

The solution consists of IDasset®, Mojix and Zebra TC20 scanners

Euro Tap Rent contacted PHI DATA with an aim to automate its asset management. Euro Tap Rent, a company that rents out glasses, bar counters and tap installations, had trouble tracking its material. The limitations of barcodes and accompanying scanners sometimes resulted in job errors and loss of precious time. By introducing RFID tags and portals designed for reading them, PHI DATA helped the employees save considerable time. Now the company always has an up-to-date and accurate summary of the material that is ready to use.

Clear overview through automation

‘In the past, it often occurred that a product was not correctly scanned at the intake,’ explains Johan Cardon, Managing Director of Euro Tap Rent. ‘This was sometimes due to human error, but also occurred because our system could not handle the scanning speed. The fact that not everything was scanned upon arrival caused errors in our stock list.’

‘When talking to a friend about my plans for automation, he referred me to PHI DATA,’ says Johan Cardon. ‘The most important thing for me was a system that worked properly and I have certainly found that with PHI DATA. Together, we assessed our needs and what the best way was to tackle them.’

Euro Tap Rent and PHI DATA agreed on the IDasset® solution. This is a way to track material during your entire process. At Euro Tap Rent, this begins when material is brought to the Intake zone. An RFID portal has been installed there, through which all material must pass. In this way, it is added to the ERP package and it is immediately clear what has been brought in. From there, it passes to the washing zone, where it returns through a portal after a wash, before ending up in stock. Thanks to the portals, you have a clear view of the material at all times. When the products are sent out again, employees scan them with handheld scanners, to ensure that no errors creep into the process.

Implementation

After the initial contact between PHI DATA and Euro Tap Rent, the process went quite smoothly. ‘I knew exactly what I wanted,’ says Johan Cardon. ‘The process that required automating is actually pretty straightforward. So the implementation was quite easy. The only challenge was choosing the right tags and the exact position of the portals.’ Depending on the material and the product usage, we selected different types of tags. ‘We opted for hard tags for stainless steel materials, foldable bar counters, tap installations and fridges. For the glass baskets, we wanted a cheaper solution and chose plastic tags. And objects that are rented out for a longer period are given an on-metal tag.’

The implementation was completed about six months after our first meeting. ‘We would have liked a shorter deadline, but the delivery period was longer because we wanted personalised tags. We then needed to spend about a month and a half applying tags to all our products before we could get started. I think that we fitted about 15,000 products with a tag at that time.’

Not much has changed for our employees. ‘The biggest difference is that jobs that needed doing in the past no longer need doing. For example, in the washing zone scanning is now automatic, whereas it used to be done by hand. Furthermore, few changes have been made since the first implementation. We have only needed to resolve a small number of teething problems.’

Advantages

‘It is easy to automate such a straightforward process and there are many advantages,’ says Kurt Nauwelaerts, Business Development Manager at PHI DATA. ‘The process is much more efficient and accurate thanks to the use of RFID and less human intervention.’

The benefits were quickly clear to Euro Tap Rent. ‘We do sometimes run out of particular products,’ explains Johan Cardon. ‘In the past, this could happen because of a scanning error. Then we would wait until the material reappeared. This was not always the case and then, of course, we lost lots of time. We now simply assume that we have really run out and can inform our clients more quickly of shortages. This makes our invoicing more efficient and we order extra material more quickly, meaning that we are able to respond more rapidly.’

Euro Tap Rent is really delighted about the solution and the partnership with PHI DATA. ‘I would certainly recommend the company to my partners. Moreover, we are also considering what else we can automate. There are certainly still some opportunities,’ concludes Johan Cardon.

Mamma Lucia produces lasagnes and fresh Italian ready meals under the brands Mamma Lucia, Rana and private label. 160 people are employed at the site in Nivelles. Products manufactured there are sold both on the domestic and foreign markets. One of Mamma Lucia’s Belgian customers includes Delhaize. They went out looking for a solution to simplify order administration and deliveries for this customer, amounting to ten pallets three times a week.

Time savings

Delhaize requires all suppliers using their Distribution Centre 2, to put products in identical cases and add an EAN code. This also applies to Mamma Lucia. “We were doing it by hand to start with”, says Lies Verhoest, a member of the Customer Service team at Mamma Lucia. “After the goods had been loaded onto the lorry we still had to fill in all the SSCC codes in the evening at the Delhaize site. That was often quite a rush, as the delivery still needed to be made that same night, or the next morning. As this job really took us ages we went looking for another solution. Delhaize told us about PHI DATA because they were sure to have just what we were looking for. And they were right!”

PHI DATA implemented IDFresh at the site in Nivelles, which allows digital messages to be transferred between the supplier and the customer. In this way the content is known, right down to crate level. At Mamma Lucia this was combined with a RFID gate solution, so that prepared orders only needed to pass through the gate to know exactly what they contained. The entire solution was linked to the accounting software used by Mamma Lucia.

How does IDFresh work?

To be specific, IDFresh operates as follows at Mamma Lucia: staff put the prepared order ready in crates with a unique RFID code. They scan one product per pallet and enter the lot, number and expiry date. When the order is complete and passes through the gate, Delhaize receives an electronic despatch advice message, which includes all the information in EDI, a standard that can be read by all computer systems. An invoice is sent automatically and a barcode label is printed, complying with the GS1-128 standard.

“This really saves us loads of time”, says Lies Verhoest. “We no longer need to manually fill in SSCC codes pallet by pallet online indicating how many cases there are per pallet and what they contain. All that’s required is for the pallets to pass through the gate. And, most importantly, we avoid making mistakes.” Mrs Verhoest is also delighted with her collaboration with PHI DATA. “If I need any help, be it on site or remotely, there is always someone available.”

The Beauvoords Bakhuis produces and sells pancakes and waffles. They are officially recognized as a regional product of the Westhoek. Legend has it that only Maggy Duquesne, who started selling the pancakes in the 1970s, and her daughter Karen Pauwelyn, current manager, know the secret recipe. Currently the waffles and pancakes are for sale in countries including Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Norway, Czech Republic and Slovakia. For their deliveries to Delhaize, Beauvoords Bakhuis looked for an automated solution.

Automated delivery process

Until 2011 Beauvoords Bakhuis’s delivery process was not yet automated. Orders were placed via fax or email and then noted in the accounting programme, after which delivery notes and invoices were made. By retyping or overwriting those orders, they ended up in their own tracking system.

That is why Delhaize suggested several suppliers who might be able to help with the automation of the deliveries and its communication. “We quickly decided to go with PHI DATA’s IDFresh”, says Karen Pauwelyn, manager of Beauvoords Bakhuis. “The solution is easy to use and offers good value for money. Also because PHI DATA offers a solution tailor-made for us, so we never pay unnecessarily for features we’ll never use.”

Karen Pauwelyn is referring to ERP packages. “Our production process is very simple. As we only use seven different ingredients, there is no need to automate the stock management. It suffices to note daily the amount left of each of the seven products. IDFresh really is a solution tailor-made for us: we aren’t obligated to buy things we can’t use, such as entire ERP packages that would just slow down our system and have no added value.”

According to Karen Pauwelyn another great advantage of PHI DATA’s IDFresh is the integration of the invoicing. “3-4 times a day we prepare orders, every time of different pallets. When the order for Delhaize is complete, the supermarket chain receives an electronic despatch advice message, which includes all the information in EDI, a standard that can be read by all computer systems. An invoice is sent automatically and a barcode label is printed, complying with the GS1-128 standard.”

When the complete order is ready, Beauvoords Bakhuis employees manually scan the unique RFID codes of each crate at the end of the production line. “We have chosen to work this way as it allows us to stay in control: we make sure that the right labels are printed and stuck to the right pallet.”

Time savings and fewer errors

Karen Pauwelyn is very happy about PHI DATA’s solution and about the cooperation. “We haven’t regretted our choice for IDFresh for a second. There is no room for discussion and orders or faxes cannot be lost. Preparing and delivering is now quicker and easier and we make fewer mistakes. We don’t really have downtime. If we have an issue, we give a PHI DATA employee remote access to our solution. We can always be sure that everything will be fixed.”

Currently, IDFresh supports EDI messaging transfer with Delhaize, Delfood, Carrefour and Colruyt. PHI DATA can of course also make the system compatible for other companies.