Case Study: Malden Mills reduces fabric waste with Datalogic RFID quality control

Malden Mills cuts fabric waste with Datalogic RFID tags

Malden Mills, a Massachusetts textile company known for its Polartec fabric, faced a costly quality control challenge in its knitting process. Imperfections in the fabric required marking, but the existing knot-tying system was unreliable, leading to material waste and potential damage to expensive slitting machines. The company sought a better identification system and consulted Datalogic, specifically utilizing their Escort Memory Systems (EMS) RFID tags and readers.

The solution implemented by Datalogic involved sewing EMS ES650HT RFID tags into the fabric at the start and end of each imperfection. At the slitting station, EMS RS427-04 conveyor antennas read these tags and signaled the cutting system to reposition the blade, ensuring the flawed section was cut out precisely without waste. Malden Mills reported that this RFID system from Datalogic significantly reduced material waste, provided valuable data on imperfection rates, and eliminated the risk of machine damage from the old method, resulting in substantial cost savings.

Malden Mills