In 2003, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) instituted an asset tracking program in order to track DoD property under the control of external contractors.  This arose amidst claims of of contractors misappropriating assets, employing wasteful practices and generally charging exorbitant sums for work which should not have been charged.  Some readers may recall the issues associated with $200 hammers or thousand dollar toilet seats which plagued NASA, and in the realm of defense spending, there were many instances of inappropriate billing by contractors which was met by the extremely large budget of the Dod and ultimately, the taxpayer was footing the bill.

The Unique Identification program (UID) ensures that government property and assets are all marked by a special asset tag – the individual asset is allocated an Individual UID (known as the IUID – the military are renowned for their use of acronyms) and this in turn produces a Unique Identification Identifier (UII).  All equipment delivered to the DoD by an external supplier must bear a UII which comes in the form of a 2D matrix (a barcode), and this in turn feeds into the billing program of the external contractor which must be managed and presented in a format which meets DoD standards.

With the “War on Terror” commencing in 2003, the DoD is taking delivery of equipment throughout the sphere of operations as well as its main logistics deployment establishment established in Richmond, VA.  There are numerous problems associated with ensuring that equipment is delivered and gets to where it is needed most, especially for those operations involving combat and security duty in high risk areas such as Afghanistan.  At the same time, while the focus is on combat and operational effectiveness, it is very difficult to effectively manage equipment and supplies which are delivered direct into the sphere of operations by external contractors.  When you are getting shot at, you are less likely to be concerned with accounting for equipment!

The UII tags remove the need for such intensive management by personnel in the field, and simplifies the entire tracking and inventory management process.  The program has already resulted in savings worth several billions of dollars in the 6 years which it has been in operation, and has also been used as the  basis for billing adjustments with external contractors who otherwise would have billed for equipment and supplies not delivered as well as reversing overcharges.

One application of the UID program has seen enormous savings in the area of containerization.  The  DoD is the largest customer for cargo containers in the Middle East area with enormous amounts of cargo being transported and stored at a variety of ports and externally managed supply centers prior to onward transportation to the “front”.  Cargo containers are extremely expensive pieces of kit, and they are not in fact owned by the DoD – the containerization system relies upon them being leased or rented (typically for a $2,000 per week).  These containers are spread around a huge geographical area, greater than the size of the U.S., and in a large number of disparate locations.  It is vital to track them and establish which are in use and which aren’t being used – by ensuring that idle use is minimized, and advising the owner of non-use, significant savings have been incurred by not paying for containers which are in fact, sitting idle in the owners depot or are still on the lease book but in fact, are not being employed.

Posted by M. Trumper

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Environmental factors affect business decisions more and more as politicians and consumers become increasingly aware of the effect our society has on the environment.  This is not restricted to the end-user, typically retail use of products such as recycling packaging, reducing gas consumption and so on, nor in the raw sources of materials, such as renewable resources, managing forests – but in the impact of interim production.

RFID tags are widely used in industry because of their flexibility and the high degree of utility and effectiveness they provide in tracking assets.  RFID tags are used in the most extreme environments such as in the sea, where salt water acts as a highly effective corrosive or in sub-zero temperatures of Arctic oil production fields.  The focus has been on developing RFID asset tags which are capable of handling anything that is thrown at them or where they are thrown into space!

The technology focus is now shifting to developing RFID asset tags which are biodegradable.

The idea stems in part from the tracking systems used in wildlife research and management.  A radio collar or tag attached to an elephant of shark is simply a glorified RFID asset tag!  The issue there has been to be able to remove the tag when the animal study has finished, without of course harming the animal.  The automated removal of collars and tags did not address the issue of the biodegradability of the tag as in many instances it was designed to be recovered in order to collect the stored information.  This altered when studies revealed tag recovery was not always possible or desirable and the issue became one of how to track an animal and allow the tag to degrade naturally, usually from within the body of the animal involved.

It has become a short lap in imagination to see the application of biodegradable asset tags to commercial use, however there are limited applications for biodegradable RFID asset tags outside of livestock management.  The focus has therefore moved to how RFID tags can naturally degrade in the environment once they have been used combined with developing re-use strategies for both the RFID tags and the integral components.

Presently, RFID asset tags are typically manufactured from a silicon chip, a polymer substrate and a metal, radio antennae which is held together by adhesives.  None of the typical components are environmentally friendly in terms of ability to decompose, while many of the materials could lend themselves to recycling and re-use if they could be effectively managed on a commercial scale currently not available.

Biodegradable RFID asset tags are still some way off but they are undergoing development at the time of writing (January 2010) and are likely to be introduced to market in the commercial short-term.  Several companies at home and overseas are working on cracking the issues with biodegradability, notable the larger manufacturers which is probably as well as it is clear that one key to effective minimization of environmental impact will be to ensure standardization on a massive scale.

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Asset labels, asset tags, property id tags, identification labels and many other terms are all simply synonyms – they refer to the same item, frequently referred to as an “asset tag”.

Asset Tags for Asset Management

A modern, well-designed and manufactured asset tag will typically have a semi-permanent adhesive backing and usually, a metal overlaid plate upon which the reference information is added.  The adhesive can be permanent but this creates issues when you need to sell the asset on – using a semi-permanent adhesive makes it very difficult to remove the tag by any but the most determined thief, and yet, with the proper tools the tag can be removed and the item restored to its original condition and ready for sale.

Asset tags can be used in a variety of situations, including commercial, government and personal requirements.  The diversity of asset tag types provides for a wide range of applications including indoors and out in harsh weather conditions – the U.S. military use asset tags widely to track assets around the world and in operational theatres, so if an asset tag can perform its role under combat conditions, it certainly will be able to perform its function with you.

Asset tags can be used to identify an individual cell phone through to a Jumbo Jet and a lot more besides.  NASA makes extensive use of asset tags in the assembly of rocket and Shuttle vehicles in order to achieve the safety parameters they require.  At the same time, asset tag systems are integrated into accounting and management systems in order to control who has possession of, and where, assets are located.  Asset tags do much more than simply provide a layer of security in the event of loss or theft – they provide an effective tool to implement stock control and tracking systems which in turn, can use the data provided to ensure sales revenues are maximized.

Technology is moving at an ever faster pace and the days of the simple, sticky label are now falling behind us with state of the art radio-tracking being employed which links in with global satellite positioning.  It is now possible to track an item as it travels around the world and to know where it is at by simply clicking your mouse button.  Barcode technology has also moved forward and the hologram continues to evolve into a very secure demonstration of product integrity and identification.

All this technology means that asset tags can provide much more than simply who owns an item.  Now an asset tag will carry vital information which can tell the reader not only what the asset is, but valuable information regarding maintenance and care, ingredients used in manufacture, use-by or sell-by information, health hazard data and handling instructions, and much, much more.

While there are many diverse applications for asset tags, they are relatively very cheap which has made them even more popular.  Simple asset tags can be sourced for minimal cost using the internet as there are literally thousands of providers of this ubiquitous sticky label.

Mark Trumper

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You can find the Flexible Anodized Aluminum Foil Asset Tags for ordering at http://www.MaverickLabel.com. MaverickLabel.com also features hundreds of other label products for all of your custom labeling needs.

Give MaverickLabel.com a call (800) 537-8816 (Toll Free from USA & Canada) today.

Full Flexible Anodized Aluminum Foil Asset Tag description:
3-mil Flexible Anodized Aluminum Foil * Tough Flexible Anodized Aluminum perfect for asset labels and tags that need to be adhered on a curved surface. The colors and graphics are etched permanently into the surface of the material. This highly durable product means labels can be used indoors or outdoors. This is the material we recommend if your labels will be exposed to direct sunlight, salt spray, high temperatures, cleaning solvents, or continuous abrasion. Made specifically for these conditions, it will not crack, chip, or peel over its useful life. *Barcode /Serial number are imbedded in anodized layer for 20 Year outdoor durability.

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Image by elycefeliz via Flickr

Any adhesive label works best when the surface to which it is applied is clean and ready to react with the adhesive to form a secure bond. This is even more important when you are using asset tags for security purposes or for identification/accounting when the asset is located in exposed environments, such as outdoors. Preparing the surface is a crucial step in making sure you get the very best out of your asset and security tags.

The surface to which the asset tag is to be affixed needs to be clean and dirt free. You should pay particular attention to cleaning the surface of any grease or oil because these will cause failure in the adhesive. Establishing a good bond between the asset and the security tag is essential as otherwise the entire object of using them is completely defeated.

Different materials will react differently to cleaning materials which you use, but using alcohol is a favorite method which works well. Alcohol dissolves grease and ensures a clean surface is made available for a wider range of materials. Simply applying the alcohol with a clean cloth is sufficient to prepare most surfaces, such as computers, metalwork, glass and other “hard” surface materials. Typically, you should wait for around 30 seconds after you have applied the alcohol to allow it to evaporate – you must ensure there is no excess alcohol on the surface when it comes to applying the asset tag because the alcohol will also weaken the adhesive.

Alcohol is not always an appropriate choice because it can react with the surface of the asset to be tagged. If the material to which an asset tag is being affixed is a fabric or leather, then alcohol is not a preferred cleaning agent. In these instances, using baby wipes is a good substitute as they provide the cleaning reagent but as they are suitable for a baby’s behind, they are not likely to damage or harm the surface to which they are applied.

Once you have the area prepared, the next stage is to fix the asset tag. This may not be as straight forward as you may think because some tags only allow the adhesive to be used once – it is immensely difficult to reposition some tags and impossible with others. You need to get the asset tag positioned just right from the very beginning!

One tip is to outline where the tag will be affixed using a pen or pencil, though you should do this before you wipe the surface down with alcohol (because the ink may interfere with the adhesive bonding).

Once fixed, the next tip for making sure of a secure bond is to wait. Many adhesives react and form a strong bond over a period of time and until they have finally formed their bond they are susceptible to even basic elements such as water. Before you allow the adhesive to be exposed to use or the elements, you should ensure that you leave the tag in place and undisturbed for as long as you can; as a guide, leave a tag alone for a whole day to be sufficiently strong to deal with handling, but best of all, allow three whole days for the bond to be completely formed.

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Taking a pencil or a few sheets of copy paper is hardly a major offense, indeed for many workers and their employers; this is simply incidental use and engenders no real harm and happier employees.  At what point does this “incidental use” progress to “petty theft”?

Employers are losing billions of dollars each year due to “incidental use” or “petty theft”, and while slipping an eraser into a briefcase to take home for personal use is small potatoes, how can a dozen reams of paper being taken be anything other than theft?  It is a fine line which employers must tread, with many companies accepting that stationery items will be taken by staff for home use, especially when many bosses expect or accept staff working out-of-hours or encourage home-based working.  Running counter to this is the surge in stationery items being removed and which typically coincides with the start of the school year.

It may be small potatoes, but over the course of a year and depending on the value of the items taken plus the number of staff, the cost can very easily run into thousands of dollars.

The issue is how to manage this problem and several solutions have been developed.

Sign for Everything

Every pen, pencil, eraser, piece of paper and even paper clips are kept under lock and key with a strict signed for policy.

Losses drop dramatically but at the same time, there is an opportunity cost to the business because of lost productivity, increased paperwork and let’s be frank, nobody likes the idea of justifying why we need a replacement pencil – it is a morale sapping policy which treats staff like children who cannot be trusted.

This is the type of policy which can be implemented where the problem is rampant but which should be closely monitored with a view to relaxing control as discipline is restored.

Establish Company Policy on Acceptable Use

Companies should inform their staff of what is acceptable use – taking a pen home may be fine, but using the office printer to create four-color prints of holiday snaps is out of the question.

Setting out the standards of conduct you expect from your staff, together with a structured disciplinary process, makes it clear what is and is not tolerable behavior.  At the very least, it should inculcate in staff that you are not a candy store to be raided at will – if an employee wants something, the least they should do is to ask their manager.

Tagging High Value Items

Some items are valuable, and the cost may not be readily appreciated by staff or managers.  There is also the problem that stationery and office sundries tend to be dispersed widely around an office, and no-one has any overt responsibility for them or how they are used once in circulation.  Asset tags are cheap and it makes sense to fix a 10 cent, official-looking tag to a $30 case of copy paper.  If high-value sundries, such as printer ink, are being labeled and tagged, it is reinforcing your ownership of the item in the minds of staff who at least will think before they take them, or even take something from a box so marked.

Need a more visual clue to office theft. Check out this Employee Theft Statistics Infographics from Infographics Showcase.

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