Integrated RFID: UID and Workflow

EPCSolutions introduces an integrated solution that enables DoD suppliers to manage all aspects of UID creation, registration, validation and UID labeling requirements. The data is seamlessly integrated into RFID labeling and Wide Area Workflow (WAWF). ...

... "The integrated solution provides MIL-STD-129P compliant RFID labels and MIL-STD-130M compliant UID marks/labels. The solution also provides a combined RFID/UID WAWF remittance and material handling document to the DoD, as well as hard copy generation of the DD250. The solution supports all major brands of RFID and bar code printers, as well as, several popular direct part mark etching devices. " ...

Via ePCSolutions: DoD RFID, UID and WAWF Integrated Solution Now Available ...

RFID DOD UID Partnership ...

RFID DOD UID Partnership: Cognex And Lockheed Martin Partner To Serve DoD Unique Identification Market

... "The Department of Defense Unique Identification (UID) Compliancy Initiative requires that every piece of equipment purchased by the Department of Defense with a value greater than $5,000, or that requires serialization, be marked with a 2D matrix code which clearly distinguishes each individual item from all others. Cognex is the leading provider of ID readers designed to read and verify 2D Data Matrix codes on a variety of surfaces. Lockheed Martin supplies a flexible and easy to install software application that manages UID-related data, creates a process audit trail, and ensures that the supplier's process meets DoD policy requirements. Together, Cognex ID reading technology and Lockheed Martin's I-GUIDES data management application provide DoD contractors with a total, cost effective solution to meet DoD identification requirements. " ...

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 130,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services.

Cognex Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, and markets machine vision systems, or computers that can "see." Cognex is the world's leader in the machine vision industry, having shipped more than 250,000 machine vision systems, representing over $1.8 billion in cumulative revenue, since the company's founding in 1981. Cognex's Modular Vision Systems Division, headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, specializes in machine vision systems which are used for automating the manufacture of a wide range of discrete items and for assuring their quality. Cognex's Surface Inspection Systems Division, headquartered in Alameda, California, specializes in machine vision systems which are used for inspecting the surfaces of products manufactured in a continuous fashion, such as metals, papers, and plastics. In addition to its corporate headquarters in Natick, Massachusetts, Cognex also has regional offices and distributors located throughout North America, Japan, Europe, and Southeast Asia.

RFID UID Compliance Mandates: Total Solution ...

RFID UID Compliance Mandates: LOCKHEED MARTIN SIGNS I-GUIDES (TM) UID COMPLIANCY SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH WFI

... "UID and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) mandates have converged and become a perplexing reality for many DoD suppliers, said Phil Mattox, senior vice president of Business Development for WFI Government Services, Inc. We believe the addition of the I-GUIDESTM UID software will significantly complement our skill sets in logistics management and RFID implementation, and enhance the Total Solutions Concept we currently deliver to our customer base. I-GUIDESTM is also available through a distribution network across the United States, including several printer manufacturers, direct part-mark device manufacturers and reader/verifier companies in the UID/RFID industry. " ...

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 130,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2004 sales of $35.5 billion.

Headquartered in San Diego, CA, WFI is an independent provider of systems engineering, network services and technical outsourcing for the world's largest wireless carriers, enterprise customers and for government agencies. The company provides the design, deployment, integration, and overall management of wired and wireless networks which deliver voice and data communication, and which support advanced security systems. WFI has performed work in over 100 countries since its founding in 1994.

NextGeneration RFID AssetManagement Technology: DOD UID Compliance ...

NextGeneration RFID AssetManagement Technology: DOD UID Compliant: The Paradigm Shift in Asset Management has Arrived with Sunflower Assets 3.8 ...

Sunflower asset management solutions offers DOD UID compliance, which leverages its next-generation RFID technology business process capabilities ...

... "Increasingly, enterprises are choosing Sunflower Assets - the company’s flagship product - to improve asset management processes and tighten fiscal accountability with next generation processes and technologies such as RFID, mobile computing, Web services and a Service-Oriented architecture. ... Sunflower Assets 3.8 supports these strategic initiatives as well as complete organizational accountability by allowing the UID to be captured within the asset record and used interchangeably with any other company-specific asset identifier, such as a barcode tag or a RFID tag. Sunflower Assets 3.8 UID Support means that organizations can comply with DoD mandates and ensure successful audits with complete confidence. " ...

... RFID-enabled Asset management solutions with compliant DOD UID capabilities is a differentiation in the marketplace.

Sunflower Systems significantly improves fiscal and operational accountability by optimizing asset management processes across the enterprise. The Sunflower Systems solution enables organizations to increase asset utilization and re-use as well as tighten financial accountability by providing a holistic view of every asset throughout its lifecycle. Built on best practices for the composite enterprise, Sunflower Systems provides a complete and actionable view of the entire asset base, from the smallest mobile device to the most expensive classified equipment. The company is headquartered in San Ramon, California, with offices in Washington, D.C. and Portland, Oregon.

RFID SGTIN UID ...

Passive UHF RFID Tag Data Structure Requirements ...

... "On item packaging for items meeting the DoD criteria for assignment of UID where a serial number is used to augment a GTIN which is used for the unique RFID identification of trade items worldwide within the UCC.EAN System. " ...

RFID Unique Identification (UID)

Understanding Unique Identification (UID)

Jody Kann, Information Technology Specialist, Automatic Identification Technology Office, Naval Supply Systems Command, writes ...

... "The DoD's vision for UID is incorporated in the UID Policy for uniquely identifying tangible items (i.e., equipment, repairables, material and consumables) by relying on international standards and commercial item markings. These uniquely identified tangible items will allow for better item tracking and provide more accurate data for management, financial, accountability and asset management purposes. UID will be required if: (1) the cost of the acquisition is $5,000 or more; (2) the item is either serially managed, mission essential, a controlled inventory piece of equipment or a repairable item, or a consumable item where permanent identification is required; (3) it is a component of a delivered item, if the program manager has determined that UID is required; or (4) a UID or a DoD-recognized UID equivalent is available." ...

RFID Tagging of Materials: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Tags to Improve Supply Chain Management

Nested Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Tags to Improve Supply Chain Management

... "Bulk commodities such as sand, gravel, and liquids are not currently under consideration. Guidance from the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (USD AT&L) does not address, per se, business rules for RFID tagging of materials listed within federal supply classes. In a USD (AT&L) RFID Update memo on 20 Feb 2004, rules for passive RFID tagging of material at the case and pallet level were discussed. Additionally, RFID tagging was addressed for individual material packaging (not the item itself) of all items requiring a Unique Identification (UID). If requiring a UID, the individual material item would: (1) have an acquisition cost equal to or greater than $5000, or (2) have serial number or other controlled inventory management capability, or (3) be a component of a larger UID delivered item, or (4) have a UID or DoD-recognized UID equivalent available. " ...

DOD RFID ...

From CHIPS - The Department of the Navy Information Technology Magazine ...

... "DoD Specifications for RFID Tags: The specification for EPC tags is relevant, since under the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Rule titled 'Unique Item Identification and Valuation' published in December 2003, the government's tag requirement can be satisfied with the commercially adopted EPC standard. The rules further state that DoD unique item identification, or a DoD recognized unique item equivalent, is required for defined acquisitions. Important to note, the rule also stipulates that any commercial identifier can be considered by the DoD for use as a DoD unique identification (UID) equivalent if it meets all of the following criteria:

- Contain an enterprise identifier
- Uniquely identify an individual item within an enterprise identifier, product or part number, and
- Have an existing Data Identifier (DI) or Application Identifier (AI) listed in American National Standard (ANS) MH10.8.2, Data Identifier and Application Identifier Standard." ...

Oct. 2, 2003, DoD issued a policy memorandum directing the immediate use of high-data capacity, active RFID technology that will affect all companies supplying goods to the DoD.

DOD RFID Policy ...

... "Radio Frequency Identification will be a mandatory DoD requirement on solicitations issued on or after October I, 2004 for delivery of materiel on or after January I, 2005 in accordance with the .supplier implementation plan at Attachment 3. Contracts with DoD shall require that passive RFID tags be applied to the case, pallet and item packaging for unique identification (UID) items in accordance with Attachment 3. The Defense Logistics Board (DLB) will review the internal implementation plan, benefits, compliance requirements, and requisite budget requirements annually based on an assessment of the implementation to date. This review will include an updated analysis of implementation success as well as provide guidance for expansion of RFID capabilities into additional applications and supply chain functional processes. A DLE decision memorandum will provide funding guidance for DoD Component implementation. In order for the DoD Components to meet the requirements of this policy, we have developed a Department-wide RFID Concept of Operations (CONOPS) to outline the transformational role of RFID technology in DoD logistics and to articulate the specific uses of both active and passive RFID throughout the DoD supply chain." ...

RFID UID: Understanding Unique Identification (UID)

From Understanding Unique Identification (UID), Jody Kann, Information Technology Specialist, Automatic Identification Technology Office, Naval Supply Systems Command, writes ...

... "This is a business imperative for the department, which has been without a universal method for parts identification... Already, expansion of the policy to radio frequency identification (RFID) tags is underway, as well as expanding to government property, both real and expensed items. UID is defined as, the set of data for tangible assets that is globally unique and unambiguous, ensures data integrity and data quality throughout life, and supports multifaceted business applications and users. The DoD's vision for UID is incorporated in the UID Policy for uniquely identifying tangible items (i.e., equipment, repairables, material and consumables) by relying on international standards and commercial item markings. These uniquely identified tangible items will allow for better item tracking and provide more accurate data for management, financial, accountability and asset management purposes. UID will be required if: (1) the cost of the acquisition is $5,000 or more; (2) the item is either serially managed, mission essential, a controlled inventory piece of equipment or a repairable item, or a consumable item where permanent identification is required; (3) it is a component of a delivered item, if the program manager has determined that UID is required; or (4) a UID or a DoD-recognized UID equivalent is available." ...

DOD RFID Supplier Implementation Plan

From Logistics and Materiel Readiness ...

... "Suppliers Shipping to DoD: Per the schedule outlined in this attachment, case, pallet, and item packaging (unit pack) for Unique Identification (UID) items will be tagged at the point of origin (manufacturer/vendor) with passive RFID tags, except for the bulk commodities as defined in section 2.4.1+ of attachment 2. If the unit pack is also the case, only one RFID tag will be attached to the container. Shipments of goods and materials will be phased in by procurement methods, classes/commodities, location and layers of packaging for passive RFID. Commencing January 1, 2005: All individual Cases + All Cases packaged within Palletized Unit Loads + all Palletized Unit Loads, as defined in Section 2.3+, will be tagged" ...

RFID Middleware: Striving for Total Interoperability

From RFID Journal ... June 2, 2004—Joining the growing ranks of companies offering RFID middleware, software provider RfideaWorks has released RFIdirector and RFIdb. ...

RFideaWorks provides high-performance, flexible RFID-enabling solutions to help businesses meet new Wal-Mart, DoD, FDA, Airbus/Boeing, and international RFID requirements - regardless of which standards are used. This means a company can do business in a "mix and match" RFID and auto identification data capture (AIDC) standards world, like EPC, ISO, proprietary, UID, bar codes and data from GPS, RTLS, electronic pedigrees, biometrics, and still have their existing information systems working smoothly and efficiently throughout the enterprise, supply chain, and customer base.

RFideaWorks incorporates advanced technology, like RFIdirector (TM) - a unique patent-pending process for middleware data capture and input/output device-independent interoperability, RFIdb (TM) - the first real-time database designed from the ground up especially for RFID, and RFIdwh (TM) - the first real-time intelligent data warehouse using RFID information. RFIdb and RFIdwh also employ a patent-pending process and architecture. Integrated seperately or together, RFideaWorks helps users meet "RFID ASAP" requirements quickly and more importantly rapidly accelerates strategic business transformation to gain major competitive advantage in an RFID-centric business world without introducing complexity, big budgets, long timeframes, and unnecessary risks.

RFID Data: First RFID database debuts

From Database Journal ... The RFideaWorks provides high-performance, flexible RFID-enabling solutions to help businesses meet new Wal-Mart, DoD, and international RFID standards ...

The RFideaWorks provides high-performance, flexible RFID-enabling solutions to help businesses meet new Wal-Mart, DoD, and international RFID standards - regardless of which standards are used where. This means a company can do business in a "mix or match" RFID standards world, like EPC, ISO's, proprietary, bar codes and other data input, and still have their existing enterprise information systems working smoothly and efficiently throughout the enterprise, supply chain, and customer base.

RFIdb (TM) is the first database designed from the ground up specifically for RFID and integrated with existing enterprise systems. RFIdb easily handles the high speeds and large data volumes generated by RFID systems for on-line transaction processing & applications processing of RFID data. RFIdb is a memory-resident relational database that can process up to 1,000 RFID tag transactions per second - this is about 5X faster than current RFID tag readers on the market! Because of its superior performance capabilities and throughput, RFIdb provides database preprocessing of tag information thus relieving the RDBMS from overwhelming amounts of RFID data to avoid bottlenecks. RFIdb provides rapid RFID-enablement and integrated information for Oracle, regardless of RFID standards or requirements.

RFIdirector is innovative middleware providing complete flexibility for the global RFID community. It solves the key issues of lack of uniform standards, and problems that arise when a consumer product company or military supplier uses one type of RFID tag while the retailer, distributor, or shipper/transporter uses another. Based on unique patent-pending tag description, translation, and processing language & methodology, RFIdirector alone works with EPC, ISO's, ANSI/NCITS 256, UID, and even proprietary RFID tag standards at high-rates of speed.

DOD RFID: Defense Won't Budge On January RFID Deadline

From Information Week, United States The Department of Defense is holding fast to its January mandate for suppliers to use RFID technology. By Laurie Sullivan. The Department ...

Background and requirement for RFID in the DOD Supply Chain

General Overview
RFID systems carry data in suitable transponders, generally known as tags, and retrieve data, by machine-readable means, at a suitable time and place to satisfy particular application needs. Tags have a discrete memory capacity that varies from a small license plate to thousands of records. Data within a tag may provide any level of identification for an item during manufacture, in-transit, in-storage, or in-use. With additional data, the tag may support applications that need item-specific information. For example, shipment consignee or destination ports can be readily accessed upon reading the tag. In addition to tags, an RFID system requires a means for reading or “interrogating” the tags to obtain the stored data and then some means of communicating this tag data to a DoD logistics information system.

Why RFID is essential to the DoD Supply Chain
The use of RFID in the DoD supply chain has the potential to provide real benefits in inventory management, asset visibility, and interoperability in an end-to-end integrated environment. RFID encapsulates the data accuracy advantages inherent in all types of automatic identification technology (AIT). Additionally, RFID is a totally non-intrusive methodology for data capture (requires no human intervention), is non-line of sight technology, and is a technology that may possess both read and write options within the same equipment item. RFID addresses a key challenge that has been noted at every node within the DoD supply chain – lack of visibility of item data. As an integral aspect of the overarching suite of AIT capabilities, RFID will become a key technology enabler for the DoD logistics business transformation and will support long-term integration of the Unique Identification (UID) into the DoD end-to-end supply chain.

RFID (both active and passive) is required by DoD to:
· Provide near-real time in-transit visibility for all classes of supplies and material
· Provide “in the box” content level detail for all classes of supplies and material
· Provide quality, non-intrusive identification and data collection that enables enhanced inventory management
· Provide enhanced item level visibility

RFID Policy Scope and Definition

RFID policy and the corresponding RFID tagging/labeling of DoD materiel are applicable to all items except bulk commodities (i.e., bulk liquids, sand, gravel etc.).

The types of RFID used within DoD will be driven primarily by the supported functional logistics business process with the goal of an integrated capability across all business processes and throughout all echelons of the DoD supply chain. Interoperability with our commercial business partners/suppliers will support the goal of streamlining the DoD supply chain.

DOD RFID Program Standards: DOD Clarifies UID vs. EPC Issue

From RFID Journal, Apr 8, 2004 ... At a meeting with suppliers this week in Washington the United States military clarified how it will use the Electronic Product Code and its own Unique ID numbering system. By Mark Roberti Apr. 8 2004 Since the U.S. Department of Defense announced in October that it planned to require suppliers to put RFID tags on cases pallets and high-value unique items there has been confusion about whether the DOD would require those tags to carry Electronic Product Codes or use the department s own Unique ID UID number system ...

DOD UID Background

The DoD vision for unique item identification is to implement policy, regulations, and supporting processes that establish a strategic imperative for uniquely identifying tangible items. The policy relies to the maximum extent practical on commercial item markings and does not impose unique government data requirements. To that end, uniquely identified tangible items will facilitate item tracking in DoD business systems and provide reliable and accurate technical and financial data for management, financial accountability, and asset management purposes.

On 29 July 2003, the Acting Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics) signed the “Policy for Unique Identification (UID) of Tangible Items – New Equipment, Major Modifications, and Reprocurements of Equipment and Spares”. (A copy of the policy is available here).

In setting forth a UID policy, the following strategic outcomes were defined:

Data integration across Department, Government, and Industry systems as envisioned by the DoD Business Enterprise Architecture
Improved item management and accountability
Improved asset visibility and life-cycle management
Clean audit opinions on the property, plant, and equipment and operating materials and supplies portions of DoD financial statements

This Policy makes UID a mandatory DoD requirement on all solicitations issued on or after January 1, 2004. An item will be uniquely identified if: (1) the acquisition cost is $5,000 or more, (2) it is either a serially managed, mission essential or controlled inventory piece of equipment or a reparable item, or a consumable item or material where permanent identification is required, (3) it is a component of a delivered item, if the program manager has determined that unique identification is required, or (4) a UID or a DoD-recognized UID equivalent is available.

The Department of Defense (DoD) Unique Identification (UID) effort also enables an intelligent Business Enterprise Architecture (BEA) that will allow DoD to achieve a clean audit opinion, manage the supply chain and track assets to support our troops. Marking tangible items (e.g., property, spare parts, supplies) with a unique identifier to record the acquisition, issuance, maintenance, storage, transfer, expenditure and/or disposal of those items will enable the accurate and timely recording of financial transactions in both non-financial (business) and financial systems.