Impinj, a provider of RAIN RFID solutions that wirelessly connect everyday items to the Internet, is helping businesses improve supply-chain visibility through the Impinj Platform. Working with smart RFID solutions provider Clustag, the company has enhanced the Clustag MOT S20 RFID Tunnel with Impinj Gen2X technology to deliver automated, item-level shipment verification with near-100% accuracy.
The solution combines Impinj R700 readers and Gen2X-enabled tags with Clustag’s patented RFID Shield Technology. Together, these technologies create a controlled radio-frequency environment that improves tag readability, confines the read zone, minimizes interference, and reduces unwanted reads.
Cases, cartons, and packages can move continuously through the RFID tunnel without manual intervention. The resulting item-level data can feed enterprise and AI systems, providing continuous visibility and traceability for inventory entering or leaving warehouses and distribution centers.
Addressing a Difficult Verification Challenge
The enhanced system was developed to meet the requirements of a leading enterprise retailer. The retailer needed to verify the contents of outbound shipments with greater than 99% accuracy in less than 1.5 seconds. Its previous RFID system achieved average verification accuracy of only 91.7%.
The operating environment made the requirement especially demanding. Each carton contained 60 RFID-tagged metal glass cases packed closely together. Metal can detune RFID tag antennas, reflect radio-frequency energy, and produce interference that affects reading performance. Random tag orientations and interactions between densely packed tags can make reliable verification even more difficult.
Clustag and Impinj recreated these conditions at the Impinj RFID Solution Lab in Seattle, Washington. During testing, cartons traveled on a conveyor belt through the Clustag MOT S20 tunnel, with every carton required to be read and verified within the retailer’s 1.5-second limit.
Gen2X Delivers a Significant Accuracy Improvement
Across 100 test runs, the earlier system using non-Gen2X readers and tags produced an average accuracy of 91.7%. After the solution was upgraded with Gen2X-enabled Impinj technology, it achieved 100% verification accuracy in 90 of the 100 test runs and near-perfect accuracy overall.
The results demonstrate how Gen2X can improve read performance under conditions involving high tag density, difficult item materials, unpredictable tag positioning, and tight processing windows.
According to Clustag, this level of performance enables high-volume logistics operations to verify shipments more reliably and operate more efficiently. It also helps ensure that every item entering or leaving a facility matches the organization’s expected records.
Supporting More Autonomous Supply Chains
Accurate shipment verification is increasingly important as retailers, logistics providers, and warehouse operators automate supply-chain processes and expand omnichannel fulfillment. Inaccurate or incomplete verification can contribute to shipping errors, inventory discrepancies, operational bottlenecks, and lower customer satisfaction.
By supplying enterprise systems with continuous item-level information, the Gen2X-enhanced MOT S20 can support faster decisions and more dependable inventory tracking across inbound and outbound workflows.
The collaboration between Impinj and Clustag shows how autonomous RAIN RFID reading solutions can deliver the accuracy required for business-critical processes, even in highly challenging operating environments. It also advances Impinj’s broader goal of extending the Internet of Things to trillions of everyday items.