Toyota Dealers Get Cars Quicker Thanks to IBM/WhereNet Active RFID System
Greetings, Keeping you apprised of the latest news from WhereNet. The company will announce tomorrow that Gulf States Toyota, a premiere regional Toyota distributor for 145 dealers, is using WhereNet's active RFID tracking system to locate and process more than 190,000 cars annually at its 84-acre processing center in Houston. Where staff would "walk the lot" to identify cars for particular dealers in the past, this advanced system uses WhereNet's real-time locating system (RTLS) technology in tandem with IBM's business process and integration services to further automate business processes and expedite delivery of vehicles to dealerships across a five-state region - reducing processing and labor costs, while achieving better quality and customer service. Gulf States Toyota adds to WhereNet's growing list of automotive customers (joining BMW, Ford, GM, HUMMER, Jaguar, Land Rover and others), as the company extends its benefits from OEMs downstream through the distribution channel. The press release follows below. Let me know if you would like to speak to a WhereNet executive about this news. I can be reached at 925-556-5463. Best, Ross Perich Trainer Communications for WhereNet Corp. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE GULF STATES TOYOTA INNOVATES WITH ACTIVE RFID, REAL-TIME LOCATING SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY In Partnership with IBM, WhereNet's Vehicle Tracking and Management System to Locate and Expedite Processing of 190,000+ New Toyotas Annually SANTA CLARA, Calif.-August 2, 2005-Gulf States Toyota, a premiere regional Toyota distributor for 145 dealers, has selected IBM and WhereNet Corp., both leaders in wireless solutions for tracking and managing enterprise assets, to provide an active RFID tracking system for processing more than 190,000 cars annually. Gulf States Toyota made the investment in the system to better serve its dealers, which in turn, offers better service to customers. Gulf States Toyota has deployed the industry-first, active RFID-powered WhereNet(r) vehicle tracking and management system (VTMS) to locate new Toyotas at its 84-acre processing center in Houston. Where staff would "walk the lot" to identify cars for particular dealers in the past, this advanced system uses WhereNet's real-time locating system (RTLS) technology in tandem with IBM's business process and integration services to further automate business processes and expedite delivery of vehicles to dealerships across a five-state region - reducing processing and labor costs, while achieving better quality and customer service. The IBM and WhereNet solution enables Gulf States Toyota to track and manage the processing of every new vehicle, as well as to conduct flow analysis for continuous improvement and optimized throughput and quality. "Continuous improvement is the Toyota way. So we are pleased to have the IBM/WhereNet vehicle tracking and management system which will help us serve the dealers in our region more efficiently," said Gary Cole, senior manager, planning and logistics for Gulf States Toyota. When new vehicles arrive via rail car at the Gulf States Toyota vehicle processing center, each vehicle is assigned an active RFID WhereTag(tm) transmitter that is "married" to the vehicle identification number. The WhereTag remains on the vehicle until it has been customized according to the buyer's specifications and is ready to ship to one of the 145 dealerships serviced by Gulf States Toyota. IBM led the overall solution development and project management. This included meshing business process consulting and back-end integration with WhereNet's RTLS architecture, including 40 WhereLAN(tm) locating access points and 74 WherePort(tm) devices. These devices trigger the car's WhereTag to emit a signal that automatically records such information as arrival, dwell, and departure time of the vehicle without any human intervention. Furthermore, by incorporating business rules and system alerts based on customer order status and dwell time, a logical hierarchy of rules manages the processing of every vehicle in accordance with its assigned status so that critical orders are processed before lower-priority units. Users cannot deviate from the proper sequence without overriding the system and generating an exception report. By using the IBM-led system, Gulf States Toyota expects to realize a complete return on investment in less than one year through numerous benefits, including: * Reduced labor cost for vehicle processing as the WhereNet system automates and directs much of the work flow. * Reduced on-site dwell time enables better yard throughput and responsiveness to dealer and customer demand. * Higher quality vehicles as the system helps ensure that no process steps are missed and that every vehicle departs in accordance with dealer/customer specifications. In addition, since the vehicles are processed in the most efficient manner as a result of intelligent move requests driven by the IBM and WhereNet system, they are moved less frequently and therefore less likely to incur "dings" and damage during processing procedures. Also today, WhereNet announced its partnership with IBM Global Services. By partnering with WhereNet, IBM Global Services expands its suite of RFID tagging solutions to support supply chain management, asset management, and work in process manufacturing, while WhereNet will leverage the strength of the IBM alliance to drive additional deployments in the aerospace and automotive industries. "We have partnered with IBM on several projects in recent years and are pleased to formally announce our partnership," said Matt Armanino, senior vice president of corporate development for WhereNet. "IBM Global Services brings tremendous credibility and clout as we continue to add more Fortune 500 customers. This partnership will help fuel expansion of our growing customer ecosystem in the automotive industry and help us accelerate our growth in emerging markets like the aerospace industry." About Gulf States Toyota, Inc. Headquartered in Houston, Gulf States Toyota, Inc. is an independent distributor serving 145 Toyota dealers in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. About IBM Global Services IBM Global Services is the world's largest information technology services and consulting provider. Some 190,000 professionals in more than 160 countries help clients integrate information technology with business value - from the business transformation and industry expertise of IBM Business Consulting Services to hosting, infrastructure, technology design and training services. IBM Global Services delivers integrated, flexible and resilient processes across companies and through business partners, enabling clients to save money and transform their businesses to be more competitive. For more information, visit www.ibm.com/services. About WhereNet Corp. WhereNet is the first company to deliver a single wireless location and communication infrastructure that reliably and cost-effectively manages valuable mobile resources and delivers a complete return on investment within 6-12 months. Based on patented, standards-compliant technology resulting from a collective 100+ years of development, the WhereNet real-time solutions enable companies such as BMW, Ford Motor Company, and NYK Logistics to reduce inventory, lower operating costs, and improve operations. The company has received the Henry Ford Technology Award; was recognized for strong ROI by Computerworld; was ranked among the top 10 in the InfoWorld 100; and has been recognized as a wireless innovator by Forrester Research, Computerworld ROI, Frontline Solutions, Plant Engineering, and Supply Chain Systems magazines. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, with offices throughout the United States and Europe, WhereNet is funded by Crosspoint Venture Partners, Foundation Capital, Bay Partners, Crescendo Ventures, and Sun Microsystems. For more information, visit the WhereNet Web site at www.wherenet.com, or call 408-845-8500 (in the U.S.) or +32 3 286 84 50 (in Europe). ### WhereNet is a registered trademark, and WhereLAN, WherePort and WhereTag are trademarks of WhereNet Corp. IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. All other brands, products, or service names are or may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Ross Perich Trainer Communications office: 925-556-5463 cell: 925-381-6048 ross@trainercomm.com