RFID track and trace solution roll-out enables real-time stage asset management at Teatro Regio di Parma

Hoofddorp, Netherlands: Murata ID Solutions’ RFID trace and track technology has been used by the historic Parma opera house, the Teatro Regio di Parma, to gain real-time visibility and control over valuable stage assets, produced in the last 30 years by the theatre. The technology is being used to improve storage and inventory management and allows the theatre to identify exactly where each item is located, giving reassurance when valuable items are used in co-productions or rented out to other theatres.

Murata’s tracking solution is built around RFID technology and can provide a fast and accurate overview of the theatre’s sets and costumes while also tracking and tracing flows in real-time. The solution is a three-step process: firstly, each item is tagged with RFID labels. Then RFID handheld readers, managed through the cloud-based id-Bridge 4.0 Middleware, are used to log the item’s details. The data is then turned into actionable insight using the id-Bridge Suite 4.0 dashboard.

The real-time visibility of the components and their location gained from the tracking data simplifies logistics processes and saves time. If a component is missing, the RFID “tag finder” mode will identify the item’s exact position by emitting acoustic and graphic feedback from the RFID reader to guide the operator to the asset’s location.

The scale of the project Murata ID Solutions proposed to Teatro Regio was unheard of in its sector, but Murata’s expertise in the technology, built on its strong research and development credentials, convinced the theatre to go ahead with the pioneering project. Engineering students from the RFID Lab of the University of Parma were involved in the project and collaborated on all the phases of the solution.

Francesco Fantoni Guerci, CEO, Murata ID Solutions said, “Efficiently managing the storage of valuable assets, as well as inbound/outbound logistics processes, is essential for an institution like Teatro Regio di Parma. Our solution improves inventory accuracy and optimises inbound/outbound flows when items are moved offsite. The fast and automatic verification of each single item upon return reduces operation time and makes it possible to intervene immediately when items are missing.”

“Together with Murata ID Solutions, Teatro Regio di Parma is completing an important digital innovation to streamline and improve the organisational and executive processes of our work”, says General Manager Anna Maria Meo. “Our productions, sets and costumes, produced by some of the world’s most important set and costume designers such as Dante Ferretti, Robert Wilson and Pier Luigi Samaritani, are extremely valuable and it is our responsibility as a productive institution to preserve this heritage for future generations to enjoy. Murata ID Solutions has allowed us to optimise the way in which we manage, store and transport our historic stage elements by providing us with accurate data in real time. We are now able to better protect every component and safeguard our assets when we co-produce, rent or sell commissioned sets”.