Container Tool Tracking with UWB and Passive RFID
The problem: Burdensome inventory requirements
A US military maintenance group was in charge of 130,000 tools in a small warehouse. Although the tools were organized into 9000 kits, they were still often mislaid, not returned to the right kit or storage area after use, or shared improperly. To reduce tool loss, technicians and warehouse personnel were required to perform inventory checks three times a day, resulting in six hours of lost work each day that could have been spent on more pressing tasks. Inventory clerks also spent four hours daily searching for missing items, leading to an annual labor cost of over $200,000 for this single warehouse.
The inventory process was also prone to human error and faced bottlenecks at check-in counters due to high demand from technicians.
In addition to being time-consuming, the inventory process was also prone to human error. Furthermore, tool clerks and technicians saw significant back-up at tool check-in counters, since many individual technicians relied on the services of the same few tool clerks.
The Solution: - WISER ATLAS System and Passive RFID
To address these challenges, the military maintenance group partnered with WISER and an RFID solution provider. RFID scanning portals throughout the facility would have been too expensive for the size of the warehouse and the number of tools involved. However, by using RFID on individual tools and WISER Ultra-Wideband (UWB) tracker tags on tool kits, inventory management was streamlined into a single, always-current report.
RFID scans at check-out and check-in confirm the presence of each tool within the kit. The WISER ATLAS’ constant location updates show if each kit is in the right place before and after checkout. The combination of tool kit scans and positioning histories from the WISER ATLAS creates a comprehensive trail of accountability for misplaced tools at any stage of the process.
The results: Less time spent searching for inventory
Although still in its early stages, the WISER ATLAS and RFID asset tracking solution is projected to save over 9000 hours each year. This will allow inventory clerks to assist more technicians and focus on critical maintenance tasks. Moreover, many of these hours can be repurposed, leading to increased productivity as technicians can complete assigned Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) tasks more quickly.
The use of real-time asset tracking systems eliminates human errors and prevents unauthorized equipment removal, making inventory processes not only faster but also more reliable. WISER ATLAS is a game-changer for container tracking, improving efficiency and reducing costs.