Autotrade & Logistics Selects IDENTEC SOLUTIONS' RFID System to Track and Manage 15,000 Consumer Vehicles

11/04/04 - PRNewswire

Autotrade & Logistics Selects IDENTEC SOLUTIONS' RFID System to Track and Manage 15,000 Consumer Vehicles PRNewswire LUSTENAU, Austria and KELOWNA, Canada November 4

LUSTENAU, Austria and KELOWNA, Canada, November 4 /PRNewswire/ --

- Autotrade & Logistics Srl, the Automotive Logistics Provider of the Koelliker Group, Uses IDENTEC SOLUTIONS' Long-range RFID System to Increase Efficiency and Vehicle Visibility at an Italian Import Yard

IDENTEC SOLUTIONS, the global leader in long-range RFID systems for asset visibility, announced today that Autotrade & Logistics Srl (A&L), the Automotive Logistics Provider of the Koelliker Group, has selected IDENTEC SOLUTIONS' RFID system - Intelligent Long Range (ILR)- to efficiently track and process imported consumer vehicles in Italy. A&L is responsible for "dock to door" vehicle services, which include handling and quality outfitting of vehicles for OEMs such as Kia, Mitsubishi, Hyundai and Ssangyong for domestic and international distribution in some European countries. A&L has all 15,000 vehicles on the parking lot equipped with an IDENTEC SOLUTIONS RFID tag and relies on the ILR system to expedite the throughput of approximately 3,000 vehicles per day across an area of 600,000 square meters.

As each vehicle arrives at the inland platform, an active RFID tag with a unique identifier is attached to the vehicle's chassis. The ILR system uses RF communication between the tag and RFID readers to track and monitor the vehicle as it travels through key process steps (storage, maintenance, finishing, inspection) until it is ready to be loaded onto a truck and transported to its final destination. At this point, handheld computers are used to read the RFID tag, verify that the right car with the right requirements is being loaded onto the right truck, and then the tag is removed to be recycled. In addition to verifying vehicle location, ILR enables monitoring of vehicle status and events in real time to ensure quality, FIFO, and to deliver key measurements such as dwell times and exceptions. By ensuring each vehicle meets requirements, and by speeding up the locating of specific vehicles on the yard, the projected cost savings are in the millions based on reduced labour, productivity gains and accurate shipments.

"The costs related to finding vehicles, processing each vehicle, and wrong deliveries are extremely high. The logistics involved are error-prone and very difficult to monitor accurately and cost-effectively. We needed a reliable system that would allow us to see each vehicle from start to finish" said Cesare Tambussi, Managing Director for Autotrade & Logistics. "We were originally considering bar codes, but when we saw the IDENTEC SOLUTIONS system at work in a similar environment, we knew that the real-time visibility, speed, and accuracy of their system would be the optimal solution to operate in our environment and will ensure on-time and correct shipments for our customers."

"A&L can improve in- and outbound movement, coordinate better schedules and work plans, and will achieve greater shipping accuracy and just-in-time logistics" stated Gerhard Schedler, Vice-President, Global Sales & Marketing for IDENTEC SOLUTIONS. "The entire system was deployed in under 30 days with the roll-out process having been completed in the last few weeks."

"This is the first RFID deployment for A&L and I expect to implement this model to improve logistics and other areas such as security for our other distribution centres. Not only is this significant in terms of efficiencies, it also demonstrates A&L's strong commitment to quality services for our customers and that adds to our long-term growth" said Tambussi.

About Autotrade & Logistics Srl

Autotrade & Logistics (A&L) is a leading integrated logistics specialist for the automotive industry. A&L can provide express domestic and international delivery of imported vehicles via sea, road and railway to dealers throughout Italy and Europe. With a fully equipped inland platform, A&L can handle 3,000 vehicles per day and manages storage, body and mechanical repair, refurbishing and dealer delivery for vehicle manufacturers. A&L is the exclusive Italian logistics distributor for Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Kia and SsangYong.

About IDENTEC SOLUTIONS

IDENTEC SOLUTIONS specialises in Intelligent Asset Management systems that help customers improve asset utilisation to save millions of dollars in operational costs related to their supply chain processes. IDENTEC SOLUTIONS' RFID system, Intelligent Long Range (ILR), can identify, locate and track assets at a distance of 100 meters (300 feet) to deliver superior real-time visibility in dynamic, demanding environments. ILR is used to streamline business operations in a variety of areas including vehicle tracking and container management. Over the past seven years, the company has built a top- drawer roster of clients including General Electric, Volkswagen, and Deutsche Post.

www.identecsolutions.com