The permanent labelling of components and their clear assignment to the vehicle in which they are installed is a basic requirement for the complete documentation and traceability of components in the automotive industry. A key challenge here is managing the wide variety of variants, which would slow down the manufacturing process enormously without clear labelling and, as far as possible, automatic identification.

Automotive manufacturers and suppliers are increasingly turning to the labelling of components with RFID tags, known as ‘smart labels’, which are recorded contactlessly, without visual contact and fully automatically along the manufacturing process and linked to the vehicle ID in the manufacturing system.

Components marked with RFID transponders, such as airbags, seat belt systems and control units, which are installed behind trim parts or in the dashboard, can be quickly and clearly identified at any time without having to be removed. In seats, trim parts and fittings with finished surfaces, the RFID transponders are integrated into the components without affecting the visible design of the parts.