Mobile pRFID System to Support Depot Maintenance
NCMS Project #: 140958
Problem: Inventory management operations are contingent on being able to uniquely identify, quantify, and locate various assets. Naval shipyards and other Department of Navy (DoN) maintenance facilities are prime candidates for testing of the pRFID system. Scattered throughout acres of equipment depots are vehicles, machinery and other critical assets that need to be located and monitored for maintenance schedules and quick usage.
Benefit: Success of this system is expected to yield operational improvements that will transcend beyond depot and intermediate maintenance/sustainment efforts to encompass also large-scale material management operations.
Solution/Approach: Market research has identified a single vendor that provides an integrated mobile pRFID reader system with a geo-positioning solution. Their API and system appear to have promising commercial and military applications. The objective of this initiative is to test and deliver 20 installed mobile pRFID systems to four geographically diverse sites to discern operational performance and refine manufacturing and coding requirements to support commercial and military applications. The units would be capable of being mounted on forklifts and other mobile platforms. The system will read pRFID tags in the 900 MHz band at a range of at least 15 feet in any direction and be able to discern location of the vehicle through the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS). Outputs from the systems must interface with CribMaster (the Navy’s system for tracking pRFID tags) and be able to meet the stringent military requirements.
Impact on Warfighter:
- Improve asset visibility
- Increase operational performance
- Reduce labor and replacement costs
- Improve warfighter readiness
DOD Participation:
- U.S. Navy (Norfolk Naval Shipyard)
- U.S. Navy (Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard)
- U.S. Navy (Portsmouth Naval Shipyard)
- U.S. Navy (Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility)
- Army Radio Frequency – In-Transit Visibility
- Defense Logistics Agency
- U.S. Marine Corps LOGCOM
- U.S. Marine Corps SYSCOM
Industry Participation:
- Venture Research Inc.
- NCMS
Benefit Area(s):
- Cost savings
- Maintenance management improvement
Focus Area:
- Other