LOS ANGELES — Timed to its renovation, Sycuan Casino will upgrade to InvoTech Systems' GIMS Ultra-High Frequency RFID Uniform System to automate tracking of the casino's 20,000 apparel items—there are 1,600 team members in eight departments changing uniforms—via bulk electronic scanning.
“We do not have an in-house laundry facility, so it is important we track our team members’ garments to control our assets for the tribe,” says Vanessa Barbarin, purchasing manager for Sycuan Casino. “Our current InvoTech GIMS barcode system tracks team members’ uniforms and gives us greater accuracy, accounting for lost or damaged garments, which has a big effect on our operation’s bottom line. The new UHF RFID system will move Sycuan Casino to the next level of efficiency as we renovate the casino for a new look. The GIMS software will tell us exactly what our spend and savings are, and create a more efficient process. The cost reduction of lost and damaged garments will go directly to the bottom line.”
The UHF technology makes it possible to track the inventory in large batches rather than by single-piece barcode scans, the company says. InvoTech will install automated UHF-RFID readers in the hallway between the casino’s loading dock and its uniform department.
“As clean and soiled uniforms are pushed through the hallway in bulk, the direction of the uniforms is detected to record if they are going to the laundry, or returning clean. This will reduce manual errors and ensure the casino always has accurate reporting of appropriate par stocks in inventory,” says Jeff Welles, vice president of InvoTech.
No computer or user input is required; a light flashes to confirm the uniforms were processed into the GIMS Uniform System. InvoTech will also provide portable UHF-RFID handheld readers for the casino’s monthly physical inventory.
