NGF Europe Limited (NGFE), situated in St Helens, Merseyside is a subsidiary company of the NSG Group of Japan, one of the World’s leading manufacturers of glass products for the building, automotive and information electronics applications.

RFID DATA CAPTURE IS KEY

NGFE is committed to supplying high quality products and services that conform to customer requirements. They pride themselves on the principal of continual improvement, as such, they continue to invest in the best technologies and systems to fulfil their commitment to product quality and service excellence. Data capture is key, and NGFE rely on their systems to provide 100% confidence that every product is manufactured to the right specification and that the right product enters the supply chain.

Working in partnership with leading mobile computing solution provider, TouchStar Technologies, RFID has become an integral part of the manufacturing process for NGFE’s glass, carbon fibre and other reinforcement cord products, including production, general warehousing and packing.  

With a strong reliance on their system, NGFE recently made the decision to upgrade their RF devices as part of an IT investment within their St Helens operation. Peter Lai, Continuous Improvement and 4IR Manager at NGFE comments, “RFID data capture is key within our manufacturing facility, so we need to ensure that our systems remain up to date and fit for purpose. As a business, we are continually innovating with regards to our processes and the technology we deploy. Ensuring we have access to futureproof rugged mobile computers and the business-critical data they deliver is key to the continued optimisation of our production processes.  

THE SOLUTION

The technology rollout recommended by TouchStar was Zebra’s MC3300ax handheld mobile computer. Rugged and fit for purpose, the MC3300 provided an ergonomically designed and easy to operate mobile computer. Always connected, the device was a perfect fit for the company’s manufacturing operation, ensuring the company have real time visibility of their operation whilst supporting 100% accurate manufacturing processes. Working together with TouchStar, NGFE thoroughly tested the recommended device to test compatibility with their in house developed software to plan for a seamless rollout of the approved solution.  

PLANNING FOR SUCCESS

Peter continues, “The relationship with TouchStar now spans over 15 years’, in this time we have developed a strong relationship that is built on trust, support and reliability. Their technology has played a critical role in supporting our need to meet our customers’ ever-increasing demands to provide improved traceability and error proofing. When it came to us looking at upgrading our system, we had 100% confidence that TouchStar would be able to recommend both a futureproof and quality solution. Throughout the testing period, they provided both the technology and support. We look forward to the future rollout of the solution and the numerous operational benefits the upgrade will deliver”.