Department - Author 1

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Department

Degree Name - Author 1

BS in Industrial Engineering

Date

2010

Primary Advisor

Tali Freed

Abstract/Summary

The purpose of this project is to observe the best way to incorporate Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology into the animal inventory system present in animal shelters, while also observing the benefits of implementing this system. The Woods Humane Society was used in this project as a sample animal care facility that could benefit from this application.

Many RFID systems can be observed in other industries, but very few examples this technology exist in animal shelters or smaller animal care facilities. Part of the reason for that is because funds are scarce at most animal care facilities, like the Woods Humane Society, so it is hard to find the time or money to invest on improving the inventory logistics. There are two main motivations of incorporating RFID technology into an animal inventory process. Currently, it takes much too long to complete a single round of inventory within the shelter. As a result, there are times when inventory is not taken, reducing the quality of the records database. Implementing the proposed system will reduce the time to take inventory. By reducing inventory times it allows the animal shelter to take inventory more routinely, which improves the quality of the whole animal record system. In addition, implementing the proposed system will open the doors to other improvements in the facility. RFID technology allows asset tracking within a facility, which can be applied to many logistical improvements, such as the ability to analyze resource utilization, or tracking activity in specialized areas.

In conclusion, in this study we attempt to design an RFID inventory system for the Woods Humane Society and validate the benefits of implementing it. Specifically, we will be focusing on reducing inventory times in comparison to the existing system.

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