Web-Based Portal suits material control applications.
Press Release Summary:
Harnessing RFID- and browser-based technologies, eP360 Software provides collection, assembly, integration, and delivery of asset-movement information. Turnkey solution features web-based portal that allows information to be accessed from anywhere. Designed for applications from production floor tracking of tooling to inventory fulfillment strategies of finished products, eP360 shepherds capital assets by delivering real-time view of where assets are at any time.
Original Press Release:
Kennedy Group Creates Unique Web-Based Portal for Material Control Applications
Turnkey solution functions in real time to allow asset control from anywhere
Contact:
Patrick Kennedy
VP, Marketing and Sales
440-951-7660
pkennedy@kennedygrp.com
Willoughby, Ohio - (April 13, 2009) - The Kennedy Group, a leading provider of turnkey RFID solutions, presents eP360 as a real-time, Internet-based materials-control software that harnesses RFID- and browser-based technologies in the collection, assembly, integration and delivery of asset-movement information. While other software can be used as a tool in asset-tracking-based systems, eP360 distinguishes itself as a turnkey solution that features a Web-based portal that allows information to be accessed from anywhere.
Designed for applications from production floor tracking of tooling to inventory fulfillment strategies of finished products, eP360 software shepherds capital assets by delivering a real-time view of where those assets are at any time. The software can be utilized as a stand-alone tool or integrated in existing strategies, including Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). It can be integrated into an ERP system on the back end and used to either push or pull data.
Utilizing eP360 begins with the tagging of assets - from pallets to item-level packaging to manufactured products. Antennas placed at strategic read points are used to read tags, with information then relayed to the central Web server. Tag information makes up a database that logs all activity and assembles it into formats suitable to the particular asset-management strategy.
Patrick Kennedy, vice president sales/marketing, called eP360 the logical extension of The Kennedy Group's role as an RFID company. "Whether it's pallets or totes or reusable trays, putting a passive RFID tag on the item is only a partial solution to track resources," said Kennedy, vice president of marketing and sales. "By coupling the information to an intelligent software tracking tool, companies are finally able to access the data that allows them to effectively manage their capital expenses."
Particularly in the case of reusable assets such as trays and totes, not having a tracking system can become very expensive. Kennedy pointed to a bakery manufacturer that operates four plants and 17 distribution sites servicing retailers and fast-food franchises. "That operation uses 250,000 to 300,000 reusable bread trays during a typical production run," Kennedy said. "Each tray costs between $6 and $7. If you lose 15 to 20 percent of those trays - do the math. That's hundreds of thousands of dollars gone."
With such shrinkage of capital assets, the underlying issues may be behavioral and systemic, explained Kennedy. In that example, he added, eP360 can be an invaluable tool for applying the "80-20 rule, in which 80 percent of the problem is generated within 20 percent of the operation and must be corrected with that in mind. This software can be used to create read points that the trays must pass through. We can use eP360 to determine that four of the 17 distribution points are the bulk of the problem, and then change behavior at those points."
Kennedy noted that the total solution is what makes eP360 particularly effective. "It's not just the software itself, but the whole implementation of asset tracking. It's the tags, the gate-portal installation and the creation of read points that can't be circumvented by humans. As the customer carries out its regular production cycle, it's going to see that 5,000 trays moved from one point to another facility. When that facility doesn't return the trays in seven days, eP360 is going to send an alarm. Our customer isn't going to send out another 5,000 trays until the empty ones come back."
The software can also support a variety of fulfillment strategies. The Kennedy Group can create programs that deal with the consignment of merchandise. "Let's say the customer makes conveyor belts," Kennedy said. "The customer houses those belts in a finished-goods area. To ensure appropriate stocking of the area at all times, the portal site will register the removal of each belt. If the restocking system calls for replenishment of the bin when the level reaches five belts, the software system sends a notification."
To learn more about eP360 or to schedule a demonstration, visit kennedygroup.com/content/Software-Solutions-c97.aspx?back=ZCQ0 or contact The Kennedy Group at www.kennedygroup.com or (440) 951-7660. To request a viewing of the eP360 demo, contact Tom Fox at tfox@kennedygrp.com .
About The Kennedy Group
Located in Willoughby, Ohio, The Kennedy Group's Logistics and RFID Solutions Division is a leader in RFID technology, providing turnkey assistance in helping major manufacturers to test, specify, install, service and support their EPC-compliant, fully integrated systems. Through its RFID Customer Solution Center, The Kennedy Group helps customers verify that the technology will work in their application to assist them with furthering their efforts to meet EPC compliance. As a result, the center provides customers with third-party verification for those mandated to meet EPC compliance. It has the largest smart label and tag manufacturing capacity in North America and the only automated quality control inspection capability for EPC-compliant tags. Its RFID tags, labels, cards, printers and printer applicators, hardware and support services represent the most seamless, delivered solutions available for accurate, real-time tracking and identification of expendable and/or reusable containers, racks, pallets and other supply chain and asset tracking applications. To learn more visit www.kennedygroup.com.
