WhereNet Delivers the First Vehicle Inventory Management System for Automobile Factory Supply Chains
25 September 2000
WhereNet Delivers the First Vehicle Inventory Management System for Automobile Factory Supply Chains
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Sept. 25, 2000--Ford Motor Company is First to Implement WhereSoft Vehicle Inventory
Management System; Results in Faster Delivery to Dealers,
Significant Cost Savings, and Improved Quality Control
WhereNet(TM) Corporation, a leading provider of Supply Chain Visibility (SCV) solutions for locating, tracking, and managing supply chain resources within enterprises, today announced the first deployment of WhereSoft Vehicle(TM) -- a new Vehicle Inventory Management System(TM)(VIMS(TM)). The WhereSoft Vehicle application, the first of its kind, tracks the vehicles in real time from the assembly line to final shipment to the factory yard. Ford Motor Company's Michigan Truck Plant (MTP) is the first vehicle manufacturing facility to implement WhereSoft Vehicle. This innovative application consists of wireless tags, antennas, location processors, and software that integrates within an existing IT infrastructure to provide constant visibility and management of vehicles from final assembly to shipping. The WhereSoft Vehicle application can locate any of these thousands of vehicles within ten feet of their location across miles of factory space or parking lots. WhereSoft Vehicle is available through WhereNet immediately.
A single vehicle manufacturer may spend more than $1 million dollars each year locating and managing inventory within its delivery chains. With real-time visibility of every vehicle that rolls off the assembly line, manufacturers can instantly locate specific vehicles to fulfill dealers' custom orders and identify any automobiles "on hold" for quality control. This increased efficiency translates to significantly less hours spent looking for vehicles, resulting in millions of dollars in savings. Ford estimates that the integration of the WhereSoft Vehicle application will reduce the dwell time of finished vehicles by at least one day.
"By implementing WhereSoft Vehicle, we can locate exactly which vehicle we need in a matter of seconds. Before using WhereSoft Vehicle, the process could take hours," said Frank Taylor, vice president of material planning and logistics for Ford Motor Company. "Our partnership with WhereNet continues to add value to Ford's goal of becoming the leading consumer company for automotive products and services."
About WhereSoft Vehicle
WhereNet's WhereSoft Vehicle application is a real-time locating system based on wireless tags and a network of antennas. Personnel apply tags to vehicles during the final assembly phase, and the WhereNet system tracks the tags, enabling factory personnel to locate vehicles from the moment that they come off the assembly line. The tags remain on the vehicles until they are loaded on trains for delivery to distributed mixing centers. This provides continual visibility of the vehicle prior to shipping to the dealerships.
| -- | Efficient and Cost Effective -- WhereSoft Vehicle reduces dwell time by at least one day as plant personnel have immediate, real-time visibility and access to any vehicle among the 2,000 to 3,000 cars regularly "parked" in the shipping yard. With at least 1,000 vehicles coming off the assembly line each day, previous manual location systems often resulted in several hours of searching every day. As a result of WhereSoft Vehicle, dealers will benefit from faster fulfillment of custom orders and reduced time to market, while vehicle manufacturers benefit from reduced labor cost. |
| -- | Enhanced Quality Control -- With every vehicle being tagged as it comes off the assembly line, quality control (QC) engineers can immediately locate cars that need to undergo a QC assessment. For example, if technicians detect problems with the rear window defroster in vehicles produced on a certain day, plant personnel can perform an instant recall and know the exact location of those cars that need to be returned to the factory for re-work. Furthermore, if a vehicle under "QC hold" moves from the lot, WhereSoft Vehicle automatically sends an alert notifying personnel of the movement, thereby preventing those vehicles from inadvertently being shipped. Without this real-time location system, vehicle manufacturers have to shut down the entire shipping yard while searching for all of the recalled vehicles. WhereSoft Vehicle enables the plant to take proactive, preventive measures to optimize supply chain flow, resulting in significant cost savings. |
| -- | Streamlined Production -- By tagging vehicles while still on the assembly line, WhereSoft Vehicle helps to identify bottlenecks in the plant. The VIM system records data showing the elapsed time of a particular vehicle at a certain assembly station before moving down the line. The data also tells production line managers which day(s) the slowdowns occurred and exactly where they occurred in the assembly process. Factory personnel then analyze this historical data and take measures to alleviate bottlenecks. Without WhereSoft Vehicle, production line bottlenecks are difficult to identify, document, and address. |
"We are pleased to be able to help Ford Motor Company maintain its status as the most technologically advanced and progressive U.S. automaker. Our WhereSoft Vehicle application is the most sophisticated system we have installed thus far," said Tom Turner, senior vice president, marketing and business development for WhereNet. "We expect Ford to enjoy significant savings through the benefits associated with the real-time location of all of Ford's most prized assets -- new automobiles. In addition, consumers will be in the driver's seat of their new vehicles that much faster. It's a win-win for everyone."
About WhereNet
WhereNet is the first company to design, build, and market wireless Supply Chain Visibility (SCV) 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 location and tracking technology utilize patented advances in spread-spectrum wireless technology to provide the ability to locate any tagged object with an accuracy within ten feet (three 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 SCV solutions offer lower operating costs, improved return-on-assets, and higher levels of customer service for some of the world's leading companies such as Ford Motor Company, Coca Cola, and FMC. WhereNet is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, with sales offices throughout the United States. Information is available on the WhereNet Web site at www.wherenet.com.
Note to Editors: WhereNet, WhereSoft Vehicle, Vehicle Inventory Management System, and VIMS are trademarks of WhereNet, Inc. 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.