OATSystems recently announced that it has successfully deployed its Wi-Fi-based Asset Tracking solution to locate tractor trailers transporting electronic components between a large Tyco Electronics distribution center and manufacturing facilities in North Carolina.

The company selected OATSystems’ Asset Tracking solution to solve the complex problem of gaining visibility into the locations of truckloads of high-value electronic components as they moved between multiple facilities, and ensuring accurate proof-of-delivery. OAT used Wi-Fi RFID tags, which are manufactured by Tyco Electronics M/A-COM business using G2 Microsystems chips.

Tyco Electronics has prominent customers in the automotive, aerospace, consumer electronics, telecom and medical equipment industries. It ships a myriad of high-value electronic and fiber-optic components to its customers, all of which must be delivered on time to satisfy their tight production schedules. Tyco Electronics’ distribution centers function much like airline hubs, receiving parts from multiple origins and sending them to different final destinations.

Tyco Electronics operates one such distribution facility in Greensboro, North Carolina, called the North Carolina Distribution Center, or NCDC. Although the manual process that NCDC’s logistics managers relied on to schedule deliveries was workable, it did not provide insight into the location and availability of each vehicle at any given moment. As a result, it became standard practice to spend an average of 20 hours per week tracking material between the manufacturing sites and NCDC, as manufacturing managers sought the components they needed immediately in their manufacturing operations.

To address this challenge, Tyco Electronics turned to OATSystems for an RFID-enabled asset tracking solution for NCDC. The goal was to deploy a presence-based system to provide visibility into truck arrivals and departures. Tyco Electronics wanted this deployment to be as cost-effective as possible, leveraging the existing Wi-Fi infrastructure and eliminating the need for RFID readers or other hardware. In addition, Tyco Electronics sought an RFID solution that would support not only its current need for a presence-based system, but also to accommodate asset tracking with passive RFID tags as well as a real-time location system (RTLS) in the future.

The Wi-Fi tags, attached to each of the NCDC’s trailers, communicate their information via NCDC’s existing Wi-Fi network. As the trucks move, each tag reports its location and confirms the arrival of the truck at various locations in real-time, providing Tyco complete end-to-end visibility.

Personnel in both the distribution centers and the manufacturing plants now know in real-time whether a specific truck has actually reached its intended destination. Tyco Electronics projects its annual cost savings from improved productivity and material loss prevention to be well in excess of $100,000.

“OATSystems’ Asset Tracking solution, deployed on NCDC’s existing Wi-Fi network, enabled us to benefit from a world-class presence-based asset tracking system quickly and cost-effectively,” said Randy Krull, director U.S. DC Operations, Tyco Electronics. “OAT also provides us the ability to expand into RTLS as well as leverage passive Gen2 tags, providing us a platform we can build upon to add more RFID solutions as our needs warrant.”

“We are very gratified that Tyco Electronics chose our Asset Tracking solution to address its challenging logistical needs,” said Prasad Putta, founder, OATSystems. “Presence-based Wi-Fi was an ideal way to do it, at a fraction of the cost and complexity of other real-time location systems. Tyco Electronics’ own M/A-COM tags equipped with G2 Microsystems chips really helped make the solution possible. This is yet another good example of a customer implementing our packaged solutions to see results quickly.”