Used Batteries Tracked to Disposal

Upon reaching a third-party recycling depot, the driver scans the battery tag once more, along with a "master tag" attached at the depot gate. That master tag, which also stores a unique ID number, links to data regarding the depot's location in the Can/U.S. Enviro-Energy server. This enables the battery to be listed as delivered in the back-end system, along with indications of where, when and by whom the delivery was conducted.

When Can/U.S. Enviro-Energy receives a new battery at its Lachine warehouse, it attaches and scans an RFID tag, then places the tagged battery in the warehouse. This allows staff members to know which batteries are in the warehouse, when they have arrived and how long they have been sitting in storage. Thus, they can ensure that newer batteries are not sold and delivered to telecom companies before older ones.

The RFID system also reduces the need to search for batteries that workers believe are in the warehouse but, in fact, may not be. Because each battery tag is scanned upon delivery, employees have an automated record of which batteries are in the warehouse. In addition, warehouse staff members can utilize a handheld reader to locate a particular battery. Because of the high level of metal in batteries, Perreault says, Academia RFID designed a pouch with an air pocket that lifts the tag off the metal surface.

The research firm provided a training program for Can/U.S Enviro-Energy's customers to understand how the RFID tags work. According to Perreault, customers have been happy with the system—due, in part, to their having driven this new solution by seeking better visibility into the disposal of their batteries. "We're very happy with it," Perreault says. "We see a good benefit." Labor reduction, he adds, will be one long-term benefit because office workers will not spend as much time searching for files regarding battery disposal. However, he notes, the real benefit will be better control over battery inventory.

"We are able to get customers we may not have had in the past," Perreault says, because the company's customers now have immediate access to proof of battery delivery at recycling depots. This, he states, is part of the return on investment. The logistics company plans to charge its telecommunications customers an additional fee to offset the cost of the RFID system, he says, though he declines to reveal the amount.