Russian fitness centers have reduced the number of lost towels from 150 per month down to only five or 10 in three months, thanks to an RFID-based solution from ISBC Group.
Sep 24, 2018—
Approximately a dozen health and fitness centers have launched a passive UHF RFID-based solution from Russia’s ISBC Group that aims to manage and prevent the loss of towels. The system, which was developed about six months ago, provides shrinkage prevention for towels, says Olga Anisimova, ISBC Group’s manager, while also enabling the fitness centers to manage when the towels are used, when they are returned soiled and when they require laundering or replenishment. While the system is being used by health clubs, she notes, it also works for other vertical markets, such as hotels and health-care facilities.
The average fitness center incurs a recurring expense regarding the replacement of missing towels. In fact, the company’s prospective customers have indicated that a typical-sized club may replace as many as 150 towels monthly. The towels might make their way home in a gym bag, mixed with a member’s clothing and other supplies, and often inadvertently. Prior to installing the RFID system, the facilities lacked a reliable way to prevent such removals from happening. Any kind of electronic article surveillance (EAS) tag, for instance, would not survive the laundering process that towels undergo, and manually tracking towels as they leave the premises would not be feasible.
Source: Health Clubs Halt Towel Loss With RFID – 2018-09-24 – Page 1 – RFID Journal