Innovating Charity: How RFID Technology is Transforming Thread Together
Revolutionising inventory management for Australian charity, Thread Together, with Ramp RFID.
Overview
An innovative partnership for change
Thread Together is a charity that delivers new clothes to Australians in need. They work with fashion brands and retailers to collect unsold clothing that would otherwise go to landfill, and distribute it to people who are homeless, escaping domestic violence, or recovering from natural disasters. They partner with thousands of charities and social service agencies across the country, who help them connect with people who need clothing the most. They also rely on thousands of volunteers who sort and fulfil clothing orders at their warehouse.
By providing new clothing to people in need, Thread Together restores dignity and hope to those who are doing it tough. They also protect the environment by keeping clothing in circulation and reducing fashion waste. They are recognised by the fashion industry as the most ethical solution to fashion excess. Thread Together believes that clothing is a basic human right, and that everyone deserves the choice and quality of new clothing, without judgement. To find out more, visit their website at
www.threadtogether.org.
The problem
Inventory management challenges impeding essential clothing access
Thread Together’s operations encompass handling millions of units of clothing donations. Each donation item is manually sorted, categorised according to inventory velocity and then allocated to either their clothing fulfilment, bulk storage or sent offsite. Clothing is then distributed to those in need, presenting a significant operational challenge, especially given how unplanned events like floods or bush fires can impact demand.
The advent of Covid-19 exacerbated the already pressing need for clothing among vulnerable individuals. Thread Together experienced a surge in demand for clothing donations. Yet, their commendable efforts were hindered by the painstaking, manual process of managing donations when they arrive in their warehouse.
With the influx of donated clothing, footwear, and accessories, the charity found it difficult to manage their inventory efficiently, negatively affecting their ability to provide clothes to those in needs promptly. Thread Together is supply led and is trying to move towards becoming more demand driven to respond to need in the community.
The solution
Harnessing RFID technology to streamline charity operations
Ramp’s purpose-built, cloud-based RFID solution presented a transformative solution for Thread Together. Leveraging this technology, the charity could tag donated products with ease, enabling real time visibility of stock, sizes, and locations.
Using RFID tags from Avery Dennison, handheld RFID readers, and Ramp’s RFID software, Thread Together can scan, count, and track stock quickly and efficiently. This implementation has increased the efficiency of getting items out to those in need and through monthly stocktakes, transformed their inventory management capabilities. With the introduction of efficient inventory management processes, the charity can focus on its core mission: helping those in need and reducing landfill.
Unleashing Potential
with Ramp RFID Solutions
Implementing Ramp’s RFID solution has led to unprecedented improvements in Thread Together’s operations.
“Ramp’s RFID technology enables us to tag items immediately after they have been sorted into categories and sizes. By being able to do this, with ease, we are now able to rapidly determine the amount of inventory on hand and of equal importance to us, understand where the items are located. ”
Thread Together
Anthony Chesler – CEO
Technology
Harnessing technology for better retail inventory control
Ramp’s RFID solution revolutionises inventory control, integrating effortlessly with Ark Swimwear’s existing infrastructure.
RFID Tagging
Highly efficient UHF EPC RFID tags enabled superior item-level tracking and visibility
RFID Hardware
State-of-the-art readers and printers optimized scanning, encoding, and overall inventory management.
RFID Software
RAMP’s proprietary software served as the backbone, seamlessly integrating with Tuchuzy’s POS system.
