WhereNet Adds Jaguar, Land Rover and Auto Alliance as customers
WHERENET ADDS JAGUAR, LAND ROVER, AND AUTO ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL TO GROWING LIST OF CUSTOMERS BENEFITING FROM REAL-TIME LOCATING TECHNOLOGY WhereCall Parts Replenishment System Helps Automakers Reduce Inventory and Increase Productivity; Award-Winning Application Now Installed in More Than 40 Factories Worldwide SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Oct. 29, 2001--WhereNet® Corp., the worldwide leader in wireless supply chain visibility solutions, today announced that Jaguar, Land Rover, and Auto Alliance International, Inc. -- a Ford Motor Co. and Mazda Motor Corp. joint venture -- have adopted WhereNet’s WhereCall™ wireless parts replenishment system to streamline assembly lines and optimize plant-floor operations. This first-of-its-kind invention, based on WhereNet’s patented wireless Real-Time Locating System (RTLS) technology, has already saved automakers millions of dollars through dramatic productivity enhancements and inventory reductions. With a typical installation period of 90 days and an established return on investment (ROI) of less than one year, WhereCall is widely recognized in the automotive industry for its bottom-line benefits. Ford Motor Co. has already installed WhereCall in more than 40 factories in the United States, Canada, Europe, and South America. Auto Parts at Your Fingertips WhereNet’s wireless WhereCall system allows assembly-line operators to call for different containers of parts by merely pushing a button. The WhereCall system provides an alternative to paper-based Kanban parts replenishment systems or hardwired electronic call systems, and it offers the twin advantages of low installation costs and unparalleled flexibility in industrial manufacturing environments. Equally important, every time operators push the “call” button, the WhereCall system enables real-time consumption information to be shared with enterprise manufacturing execution and supplier systems, to support lean manufacturing processes. The WhereCall parts replenishment system received the Henry Ford Technology Award in 2000 the highest honor bestowed by Ford Motor Co. for technological advancement. WhereCall Tracks 3500 Auto Parts Across 6 Million Square Feet When all of the WhereCall applications are fully implemented at the Jaguar, Land Rover, and Auto Alliance International factories, the WhereNet technology will be responsible for managing 3500 individual auto parts amidst a combined factory floor space spanning approximately 6 million square feet. · Jaguar will deploy WhereCall in its Halewood, United Kingdom, factory as well as in two factories in Birmingham and Coventry, to bring auto parts to the line for luxury models such as the Jaguar X-type, Saloon, XK8, and XKR. · The first phase of the Land Rover WhereCall installation will be used on the Range Rover for 2002. Future phases will leverage WhereCall to assist the assembly process of other Land Rover models. · Auto Alliance International, Inc., located in Flatrock, Mich., will initially use WhereCall to streamline its Mazda 626 and Mercury Cougar assembly line, with other Mazda and Ford models to follow. “WhereNet’s technology will save us significant time and money by streamlining our supply chain and will offer us more operational flexibility than we have ever experienced,” said David Longridge, material planning and logistics manager for Auto Alliance International, Inc. About WhereCall The WhereCall parts replenishment system consists of WhereNet’s wireless WhereCall tags, antennas, location processors, and software that integrates with a parts replenishment system within an industrial manufacturing facility. When operators need more parts along an assembly line, they push a button on the WhereCall tag. The tag transmits a signal and alerts material replenishment personnel to deliver more parts to the line-side operator. Because each assembly line operator may be tasked with managing and assembling several different parts, several different WhereCall devices may be mounted in a single workstation. Using low-power, spread-spectrum radio frequency technology, the WhereCall transmission requires only two milliwatts of power yet provides a wide coverage area of up to 750 feet on the manufacturing floor. Because it operates at such low power, each WhereCall tag can last up to eight years without changing the battery. Through WhereNet’s WhereSoft™ Visibility Software Suite (VSS) and WhereNet Aware systems integrator partners, WhereCall can be easily integrated into a company’s existing enterprise software system, enabling a quick ramp-up (less than 90 days) and return on investment (less than one year). WhereCall is providing the world’s largest industrial manufacturers with unprecedented speed, cost savings, and flexibility advantages, including: · Rapid Return on Investment The WhereCall system enables manufacturers to install their parts replenishment systems in one quarter of the time it previously took to install a wired call system. By eliminating the need to run cable all over their factories as part of a wired material replenishment system, WhereNet’s wireless application saves automakers millions of dollars in installation costs. · Streamlined Productivity With the WhereCall system’s count-up timer, each operator can improve the overall material delivery process, reducing minimum inventory replenishment levels and enabling lean manufacturing. With access to crucial information about how much time elapses between a call for parts and delivery, manufacturing personnel can provide better and more timely feedback to work groups, alleviate bottlenecks, and optimize the supply chain flow, resulting in unprecedented time and cost savings. “WhereNet is excited to add Jaguar, Land Rover, and Auto Alliance to our growing list of automotive customers,” said Tom Turner, senior vice president for WhereNet. “WhereCall is factory-tested, and it has proven many times over that it can flawlessly ensure that the right parts are delivered to the right place at the right time, enabling lean manufacturing and synchronous material flow across an automaker’s enterprise. WhereNet expects adoption of WhereCall to continue at a brisk pace, with several new customers in 2002.” About WhereNet Corp. WhereNet Corp., winner of last year’s Henry Ford Technology Award, is the first company to design, build, and market wireless supply chain visibility solutions for locating, tracking, and managing supply chain resources critical to success in today’s competitive global business environment. WhereNet systems seamlessly connect a company’s resources to its information systems, in real time. WhereNet’s real-time locating and tracking technology utilizes patented advances in spread-spectrum wireless technology to provide the ability to locate any tagged object to within 10 feet (3 meters). The result is constant, on-demand information about valuable assets in the supply chain, their physical location, and status. Driven by wireless tags, fixed-position antennas, and Web-enabled software, WhereNet’s real-time solutions offer lower operating costs, improved return on assets, and higher levels of customer service for some of the world’s leading companies, including Ford Motor Co. and Coca-Cola. WhereNet has also developed strategic relationships with such Fortune 500 bellwethers as General Electric (Medical Systems and Industrial Automation divisions), Unisys, Symbol, and FMC. Founded in 1997 and selected as a Top 100 company by Frontline Solutions in August 2001, WhereNet is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., with sales offices throughout the United States and Europe. WhereNet has also been honored for its wireless innovation by ComputerworldROI and Supply Chain Systems magazines. WhereNet is funded by Crosspoint Venture Partners, Foundation Capital, Bay Partners, and Crescendo Ventures. Ford Motor Co. and Sun Microsystems have also invested in WhereNet. WhereNet® is a registered trademark and WhereCall and WhereSoft are trademarks of WhereNet Corp. All other brands, products, or service names are or may be trademarks or service marks of, and are used to identify, products or services of their respective owners.