Encore Data Security Services

Encore Ympäristöpalvelu Oy is the subsidiary of the largest paper recycling company in Finland, Paperinkeräys Oy. One of Encore’s five business divisions, Data Security Services, handles the confidential waste of customers from fetching the waste from customer site to shredding it. The waste can include for example daily paper printouts, yearly archives, hard drives and other electronic recordings as well as customer specific data, such as proto materials, irrelevant products, product packing and even work clothes.

SolutionRFID tagged container on a scale

In 2003 Vilant Systems approached Encore with RFID based system for confidential waste handling. The system was part of the Tekes ELO- program, and was in the implementation phase one of Europe’s widest RFID systems. The nation-wide system is based on HF technology and uses mainly rugged RFID handheld readers. Each container is equipped with RFID tag and each person working in container delivery has his own RFID card and a handheld reader.

The driver’s main working tool is the HF handheld device to which he can upload route information and other working instructions and read container tags at customer sites. The customer approves all transactions to the handheld with his/her own personal RFID card. When the containers arrive to shredding they are identified and weighed on a scale equipped with a RFID reader, enabling the customer to receive accurate information on what type of waste has been shredder, how much and when.

The use of RFID as a means of information gathering enables versatile and fast reporting. An own extranet portal has been built for customer reporting purposes.
RFID handheld
Benefits

With RFID enabled traceability, the location of each container is known in the backend system. There’s also always information and timestamps on what has been done to each container and when: i) who has made the delivery, ii) who approved it and iii) when it has been shredded. This information is provided to Encore and to the customer through intranet and extranet interfaces. The system is also integrated to Encore’s billing system so that automatic invoices can be made based on events or material weight.

Results

  • Precise tracking of the containers (weight, handling times etc..)
  • Higher quality of service through better security
  • Improved customer service through extranet reporting
  • Less paper work
  • Improved manageability through accurate statistics


The system in 2010

At the moment a second generation of RFID reader equipped scales is in use and a third generation of handhelds will be introduced soon. The system is in use at 9 sites and includes over 20 000 tagged containers. The amount of events has almost doubled since the initial implementation and the overall impact of the RFID system to Encore’s business has been extremely positive.