RFID prevents power tool theft
Bosch Power Tools has an idea about how to stop power tools from walking off construction job sites: as part of their anti-theft Safe & Sound program, they're putting RFID chips in their circular saws, hammer drills and other tools sold to construction businesses. They'll be a bit more expensive than their non-tagged counterparts (by two to five percent), but considering the construction industry lost between $300 million and $1 billion to equipment theft last year, it may end up being a very small price to pay. The serial number of the RFID tags ties into an inventory database of asset-tracking records. On the construction site, managers use an Intermec 700 Series Windows Mobile device attached to a tag reader to scan the tools on site and transmit tracking information to the asset database. The obvious next step for this program is to bring in the Secom Robot X to handle the dirty work of smacking down on the tool thieves.
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