Digital, sustainable and multifunctional: medl GmbH, Mülheim's local public utility, simplifies its employees' everyday work with an NFC card from Mülheim-based NFC21 GmbH (NFC21). The card is currently simultaneously an employee ID card, digital business card "NFC-vCard" and door opener indoors, as well as printer authorisation in the future. Further functional extensions are possible and could follow.

Whether customer service, IT or sales - all departments benefit from the new NFC-vCard, a multifunctional NFC card that medl has recently started using. This was developed and implemented by the Mülheim-based company NFC21, which has specialised in customised NFC products and solutions since 2012.

"We have the right NFC tag for almost every conceivable use, produce individually according to customer specifications and implement customised NFC solutions. With more than ten years of experience, we have so far implemented the most diverse products and projects for our customers - customers of all sizes and diverse industries. In sum, we can say there is (almost) no customer experience that cannot be enhanced through the use of NFC."

says Tarek Moussa, one of the managing directors of NFC21.

The multifunctional card plays an important role at medl in the consistent implementation of the digitalisation strategy: many functions and all combined in one card in the usual cheque card format. "With the new NFC card, we not only save time, paper and costs, but also simply make everyday work easier for our employees," says Jan Hoffmann, medl's sales manager, who helped initiate the project, and continues: "This means that identification, passing on contact data, opening doors and soon printing will all be possible with one handy card.

"With the new NFC card, we not only save time, paper and costs, but also simply make everyday work easier for our employees. This means that identification, passing on contact data, opening doors and soon printing will all be possible with one handy card.

says Jan Hoffmann, medl's sales manager, who helped initiate the project.

medl Sales Manager Jan Hoffmann (on the right) and NFC21 Managing Director Tarek Moussa

Smart networking
As a digital alternative to the classic business card, it can be used many times and efficiently: the NFC-vCard can be called up with a simple smartphone scan and storing the information in the desired - also synchronised - address book requires only another click. This makes work easier, especially for sales and field staff who use business cards frequently, and saves resources. In addition, the individual URL behind the secure online profile can also be used separately or remotely and can thus be integrated into the e-mail signature or website, for example. In addition to the unlimited storage capacity and the simple updating of contact data in real time, the advantages for the other party are fast and contactless scanning and saving. The associated intuitive NFC vCard portal for managing and entering content also contains statistics on the personal card and is DSGVO-compliant.

medl GmbH now has this original NFC vCard in use for its employees, is also already using it as a digital employee ID card as well as a door opener, and plans to add print authorisation to it. Here is an overview of the latter two functions:

• Intelligent print job authorisation: Printing often still looks like this in everyday office life: One or more departments share a large high-performance printer in the corridor and employees manually enter the password there so that the print job initiated from the PC is started by the printer on site. The NFC-vCard makes this process faster and therefore more efficient: simply hold the card to it and the individual print starts. Even though the printers at medl are already activated with a chip, this function will be taken over by the NFC-vCard in the future, so that only the card needs to be at hand.
  

• Card on - door open: For an NFC card to be able to open a door, the technology must be compatible with the locking system. At medl, this will be the case in the interior area of the administration, and so the card will also make everyday work easier for the employees here, in the sense of "one card for everything".

Pursuing digitalisation consistently
medl is continuously pushing the issue of digitalisation across all levels. For example, the company is working hard on the implementation of the paperless office and is also trying to save costs through digital transformation. The NFC vCard could still be expanded to include additional functions. For example, the next step could be the use of the NFC card for e-vehicles: the NFC card can also be used to activate the wallboxes or for maintenance processes, among other things. Whether these additions can also be implemented at medl in the future is being examined.

Further information: Data transmission with NFC
With NFC, a lot of information can be retrieved quickly and easily by scanning and the technology can thus be used in many areas of companies. NFC technology makes it possible to make companies and products more digital, more resource-efficient and thus also more sustainable and attractive in various ways - for example, at trade fairs, in inventories or in advertising and marketing measures. Due to the different implementation possibilities of NFC, there are suitable, tailor-made solutions for all customers and industries. With NFC, a lot of information can be retrieved quickly and easily by scanning and the technology can thus be used in many areas of companies. NFC technology makes it possible to make companies and products more digital, more resource-efficient and thus also more sustainable and attractive in various ways - for example, at trade fairs, for inventories or for advertising and marketing measures. Due to the different implementation possibilities of NFC, there are suitable, tailor-made solutions for all customers and industries.

About NFC21 GmbH
NFC21 offers NFC-based solutions from a single source and is one of the leading providers of NFC products and software solutions thanks to this holistic corporate approach. Both areas go hand in hand in order to be able to accompany projects in every phase.
The online shop www.nfc-tag-shop.de offers an extensive range of NFC products with high availability and fast delivery times, right through to individually manufactured products, complemented by personal advice on finding the right product. Complementary, NFC21 develops and operates web-based software solutions that use NFC to realise intelligent value-added services. You can find more information at www.nfc21.de.
 
 About medl
Starting out as a classic energy supplier in Mülheim an der Ruhr at the end of the 1990s, medl GmbH has since developed into a modern and future-oriented municipal utility. Around 72% of Mülheim's households purchase natural gas, green electricity, heat or cooling from medl. In addition, through its cooperation with local and (supra-) regional service providers and suppliers, medl contributes directly to the existence of around hundreds more jobs. Its undertakings are based on long-term and forward-looking thinking and action - for a secure energy supply and a good and stable future for the people of Mülheim.
 
Today, medl GmbH is already the largest producer of green electricity in Mülheim an der Ruhr, enables sustainable and efficient energy generation and use for private customers, companies, public institutions as well as city districts and invests in the local expansion of renewable energies, especially in photovoltaics and wind energy. In addition, medl promotes electromobility and climate-neutral living and working. With the construction of an area-wide LoRaWAN network in 2020 and the construction of its own high-performance fibre optic network from 2022, medl GmbH is also taking the digital future of Mülheim into its own hands.
www.medl.de

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