Champagne maker Charles Heidsieck is using RFID technology from New Jersey-based Checkpoint Systems to track its bottles from production site to points of sale.

Traceability remains a major challenge for wine, champagne and spirits brands. To guarantee the visibility of its products, from manufacture through to distribution, Charles Heidsieck has called on the expertise of Checkpoint to deploy complete RFID traceability: RFID tunnel readers, RFID inlays and software for controlling and integrating product data.

The implementation of this, called BottleID, is particularly suitable for the beverage and perfumery sectors. Checkpoint has overcome the constraints of liquid environments by developing an RFID inlay (checkpointsystems.com/rfid-solutions/rfid-labels-and-inlays) designed to provide optimal performance in the presence of liquids.

Thanks to this innovation, it is possible for players in the beverage sector to benefit from the many advantages of RFID technology, namely reliable unit identification of each bottle, accurate reporting on product quantities by destination and at each stage of the supply chain, easier verification of products on the various distribution channels, and reliable real-time inventory.

Specifically, a back label, supplied by Imprimerie Billet (www.impression-billetterie.fr) in Damery, Marne, France, and containing an RFID inlay, is placed on the back of each bottle during the production process. The bottles then go through Checkpoint’s RFID tunnel reader, which guarantees a fast bottle and carton association rate without slowing down production rates. The shipment of the products is traced precisely, so the origin and destination of the bottles can be checked on receipt at the various delivery points. All these traceability data are compiled, secured and returned in the form of dashboards by the company Wine in Block (www.wineinblock.io), a specialist in blockchain for wines, champagnes and spirits.

“The decision to implement RFID came in response to a two-fold challenge: firstly, to make the information we share on our products more precise; and, secondly, to allow more accurate monitoring of the circulation of our bottles,” said Damien Riegel, production manager at Champagne Charles Heidsieck (charlesheidsieck.com). “RFID technology has quickly established itself as the best option, in particular because of the ease and reliability of data acquisition that it allows on the production line, without adversely affecting rates. In addition to the perceived benefits in terms of monitoring our markets, the implementation of RFID strengthens our communication with consumers, providing them with more precise data and greater transparency regarding our practices. We have now laid the foundations to further exploit the potential of this technology in the future. “

Julien Thibult, director of RFID at Checkpoint Systems (checkpointsystems.com) in France, added: “Thanks to our complete traceability, Champagne Charles Heidsieck very quickly perceived the benefits of using RFID technology. The brand now has the ability to track all of its bottles in its distribution networks and has considerably optimised the control of its flows and its brand image. In addition to enabling wine, champagne and spirits brands to oversee, optimise and improve their operations, it is a key first step towards digitising the bottle by bringing more product information to consumers.”

See a video of how it works at www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K-zP7XsOA8.