QR and NFC Tags

Every piece of equipment in the plant has a digital profile in Rela AI: its history, maintenance plan, and health status. QR and NFC tags are the physical bridge between the real equipment and that profile. The technician arrives at pump B-12, scans the QR code attached to the casing, and within seconds has all the equipment information on their phone — without searching through binders or calling the office.

What is it for?

Tags solve the problem of identification and field information access. In a plant with dozens or hundreds of similar pieces of equipment, it is common to confuse which motor is M-08 and which is M-09. A tag eliminates the ambiguity: scan it and you know exactly which equipment it is and what its current status is.

QR and NFC tags allow you to:

• Identify any piece of equipment instantly by scanning with a phone
• Access the complete asset profile without searching the dashboard
• Automatically record who visited the equipment, when, and from where
• Use scan history to verify inspection rounds
• Generate tags in bulk for the entire plant at once

How does it work?

Each tag contains a unique code linked to the asset. When scanned, the phone opens the asset profile in the dashboard — if the user has access, they see all the information; if they do not have an account, they see a public view with the equipment's basic data.

The system records each scan automatically: who scanned (if authenticated), when, and the GPS location if the device allows it. This record serves as evidence of inspection rounds and equipment access audits.

Difference between QR and NFC:

• QR: visual code scanned with the phone camera — printed on paper or adhesive material
• NFC: invisible chip activated by bringing the phone close — no camera needed, works in low-light conditions or difficult visual access

How to use it?

Generate a tag for one piece of equipment

1. Go to the asset profile in Assets.
2. Click Generate Tag.
3. Select the format: QR or NFC.
4. Choose the size based on available surface on the equipment:
   • Small (25 mm) — for equipment with limited space
   • Medium (50 mm) — the most common for industrial equipment
   • Large (75 mm) — for large equipment or low-visibility conditions
5. Download the image or send directly to print.

Generate tags for multiple pieces of equipment at once

To label an entire production line or complete area:

1. Go to Assets in the sidebar.
2. Select assets using the checkboxes (or filter by area and select all).
3. Click Actions > Generate Tags.
4. Configure the format and size for the batch.
5. Download the file with all tags ready to print.

Install tags on equipment

Installation recommendations:

• Place the tag in a visible and accessible location that does not require tools to reach
• Avoid surfaces with oil, steam, or extreme vibration that could detach the tag
• For environments with splashing or humidity, use water-resistant materials (polyester or vinyl)
• For NFC, ensure the chip is not placed directly on a metal surface without proper separation — metal can interfere with the signal

Scan a tag in the field

With QR: Open the phone camera and point it at the code. The system automatically opens the asset profile.

With NFC: Bring the back of the phone close to the NFC chip. The system automatically opens the asset profile.

If the technician is signed in to Rela AI, they see the complete profile with all data. If they do not have an account, they see the public view with:

• Asset name and code
• Current operational status
• Health grade (AHI)
• Contact information for the responsible department

View scan history for an asset

In the asset profile, the Scans section shows:

• All recorded scans with date and time
• Who scanned (user name or "anonymous")
• GPS location of the scan if the device allowed it
• Filters by date, user, or location

This history serves as evidence that scheduled inspection rounds were performed.

Key benefits

• Instant field identification of equipment — no ambiguity or manual searching
• Access to the complete asset profile from a phone in seconds
• Automatic record of each equipment visit for audits
• Bulk generation to label an entire plant at once
• Basic public view without requiring a user account
• Compatible with industrial adhesive label printers

Common use cases

Scenario 1: Verifiable inspection round The supervisor assigns an inspection round of the 12 compressors in area A. The technician covers each compressor and scans the QR tag on each one. At the end of the round, the supervisor opens the scan history and confirms all equipment was visited: 12 scans with timestamps over the last 2 hours, from the correct GPS locations. Auditable evidence of the round exists without paper forms.

Scenario 2: Quick identification during a failure An operator hears an unusual noise in a motor in the production area. They do not know the equipment code. They scan the NFC tag on the motor. The profile opens: Motor M-14, production area line 3, responsible department Electrical Maintenance. They see it has an AHI of 52 (Grade C) and a note in the profile about noise in the left bearing since last week. They call the department with the exact equipment code and context of the previous problem.

Scenario 3: Bulk labeling of a new plant An industrial plant configures 200 assets in Rela AI. Instead of generating 200 tags one at a time, the coordinator selects all assets, generates the complete batch in medium format (50 mm), and prints the file on the Zebra printer in the workshop. In one afternoon the maintenance team installs all tags on the corresponding equipment. From that point on, all technicians can identify and access the profile of any piece of equipment by scanning its code.