Pharmaceutical giant Sanofi has rolled out passive UHF RFID technology across its R&D facilities in France and the United States, delivering a dramatic improvement in inventory accuracy and slashing the time needed for stock checks.
Working with RFiD Discovery over an 18-month partnership, Sanofi deployed the technology at its sites in Marcy l’Etoile, France, and Waltham, Massachusetts. The project initially covered around 4,000 items, with plans to scale up to 10,000 units as the system matures.
Before the RFID rollout, inventory accuracy at the facilities sat at roughly 75%, with manual stock checks taking up to two hours per cycle. Staff had limited real-time visibility into what was on hand, making it difficult to track temperature-sensitive materials or flag items nearing their expiration dates.
The solution uses two types of passive UHF labels, manufactured by Paragon ID, featuring a specialized adhesive designed to stay attached to frozen products. Each site was equipped with 10 handheld readers and 4 RFID label printers, supported by a custom software application built for the project.
The results have been significant. Inventory accuracy jumped to 95%, and the time required for a full stock check dropped from two hours to roughly five minutes, a reduction of around 95%. Teams now run approximately five inventory cycles per week, giving them a near-continuous picture of stock levels. The system currently has 21 active users, with a target of 30 as adoption continues to grow.
Looking ahead, Sanofi plans to extend the RFID system into its GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) product lines, which would bring the technology into its regulated manufacturing environment. That move would represent a significant step beyond the current R&D application and could set a benchmark for inventory management across the pharmaceutical sector.