5-Second Checkouts Achieved by Industrial Container Specialist pH Europe
In the Summer of 2004, JDS Professional Services completed the installation of a groundbreaking new RFID asset tracking solution for pH Europe Ltd. featuring the TAVIS™ data management platform from RF Code.
I wrote this case study while serving RF Code as a marketing consultant in 2004. I used it for press pitches and awards entries. It boosted mindshare for all companies involved and was recognized as an award-winning example of RFID asset tracking in the mid-2000s.)
pH Europe Ltd. is an innovative container supply company based in the county of West Yorkshire in the UK. Its Huddersfield headquarters can be found a short drive east of the industrial metropolis of Manchester, in a region commonly credited as being the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.
During the Victorian era of the early 1800s, Manchester and its surrounding mill towns became vital hubs of commerce and trade, with particular significance in textile industries. The spinning, dying, and weaving of cotton during this period by large communities of workers allowed raw material processors and commercial distribution networks to flourish and grow within the region. With a ready transportation infrastructure of canals, streets and emerging railway services, Manchester was soon seen as the Warehouse of the Western World.
Today, it is not surprising to find forward-thinking transportation, logistics and manufacturing companies here. They build on a legacy of supply chains past while leveraging the intellectual base of knowledge that is almost organic in the region after 200 years of development.
pH Europe’s contribution to this legacy is in the flexible nature of its container sales and rental service, and in its use of technology to optimize the efficiency of its operations. The company has found great success in offering a portfolio of transport container and asset tracking services designed around a wide range of secure containers.
Among these are long-life intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), folding pallet containers (FPCs), plastic boxes and environmental storage units. A growing roster of clients use its services to transport an array of goods ranging from chemicals to pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs to industrial parts; supported by comprehensive fleet maintenance and tracking. Clients such as GSK, Sun Chemical, Avecia, Johnson Matthey, AllessaChemie, Methode and AH Marks also appreciate the extensive storage, repacking and cleaning options that further enhance the value of their relationship with pH Europe.
The IBC: A Different Drum
While an old steel drum is sometimes seen as a relic of the transportation and storage industry’s past, the intermediate bulk container (IBC) is emerging as the container of choice for businesses that transport and store bulk liquids or dry goods. Their reusable nature and water-tight seals make them ideal for both outdoor situations and controlled warehouse settings. With an array of storage configurations, including some with capacities of 793 gallons (3000 liters), they are nonetheless designed to be easily moved, stacked, filled, drained and cleaned. IBCs are manufactured to meet strict national and United Nations (U.N.) requirements for strength and resistance to damage.
They are increasingly found in chemical, paint, food processing and pharmaceutical environments and are most often constructed from molded resin plastic, metal or metal/plastic composites. Depending on the type of product stored in each container, some composite IBCs are supplemented by protective metal skeletons or fiberglass blankets while in transit.
Through its container rental services, pH Europe has established a reputation as a unique solutions provider that embraces new technology and rises to meet the challenges of an industry in transition. Their container business falls into three distinct product areas: stain-less-steel containers, plastic containers and environmental storage products. Many of their new customers are finding that renting containers can provide an immediate boost to the balance sheet. By retaining the services of pH Europe, they can accommodate spikes in product demand even while their owned inventory of containers is devoted to other shipments, either in storage or enroute. With an impressive arsenal of containers available for rent (or for hire in the King’s English), pH Europe can meet increases in demand with a solution set that is reactive, cost-effective and efficient.
Once exposed to the pH Europe portfolio during a busy period or in a crisis, companies tend to become interested in taking advantage of its products and services on a more ongoing basis.
THE CHALLENGE: Increasing Visibility
The company’s initial launch of rental IBC containers in 1996 was a departure from the traditional way of doing business in the transport container fi eld. While a new concept at the time, pH Europe’s services were quick to catch on with businesses that were embracing new supply chain efficiencies within their own organization.
Coinciding with the rise of installed Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) in its target markets, the principals at pH Europe began investigating the potential for tracking and monitoring each of their IBCs throughout the rental cycle. Beginning in 2002, they also realized that tracking features could add value to their existing rental business and perhaps generate new interest among mission-critical shippers. The ability to offer Real Time Location Services (RTLS) to producers of flammable chemicals, combustible liquids and other hazardous materials also piqued their interest.
Conversations with the Dean of the School of the Built and Natural Environment at Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland led to the formal application, and subsequent award, of a government grant to pursue the development of a wireless tracking solution. The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the university was part of a UK Government program that enables firms of all types to collaborate with knowledge base organizations and research institutions on business technology challenges and opportunities. solution. The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the university was part of a UK Government program that enables firms of all types to collaborate with knowledge base organizations and research institutions on business technology challenges and opportunities.
Shortly after pH Europe was awarded the KTP grant, a search was conducted to qualify a top prospect from the university ranks to lead the development team. Dr. Ivelina Ivanova was establishing her expertise in supply chain management and logistics at the time and turned out to be the perfect candidate. Her understanding of supply chain research methods and enterprise resource planning proved invaluable as the project got underway. Dr. Ivanova, who now serves as the RF project leader at pH Europe, was able to help the company quantify its needs and select the appropriate technology.
During the initial planning phase, it was determined that a GPS solution would provide the necessary location functionality but would prove far too expensive in the long run. The fact that GPS tags would also need their batteries recharged frequently was a non-starter for the project.
The evolving realization that a hybrid RFID/GPS solution featuring long-range active RFID technology at the container level, and GPS at the truck level introduced a new series of complexities that would have to be solved by an advanced data management software system.
Shortly after pH Europe was awarded the KTP grant, a search was conducted to qualify a top prospect from the university ranks to lead the development team. Dr. Ivelina Ivanova was establishing her expertise in supply chain management and logistics at the time and turned out to be the perfect candidate. Her understanding of supply chain research methods and enterprise resource planning proved invaluable as the project got underway. Dr. Ivanova, who now serves as the RF project leader at pH Europe, was able to help the company quantify its needs and select the appropriate technology.
Hardware Requirements
Software Requirements
THE SOLUTION
During the initial planning phase, it was determined that a GPS solution would provide the necessary location functionality but would prove far too expensive in the long run. The fact that GPS tags would also need their batteries recharged frequently was a non-starter for the project. The evolving realization that a hybrid RFID/GPS solution featuring long-range active RFID technology at the container level, and GPS at the truck level introduced a new series of complexities that would have to be solved by an advanced data management software system.
RF Code’s data management software solution would be used to connect, collect, consolidate and filter the tag data from the various containers, and integrate third-party applications as well as GPS data.
The TAVIS data management platform from RF Code was only paired with its Mantis brand of active RFID tags and readers at the time of pH Europe’s market evaluation. (In October 2003, the company announced that it would offer TAVIS as a standalone solution for hybrid Auto-ID and EPC/RFID applications).
The TAVIS software platform is an Auto-ID data management framework that supports a broad spectrum of Auto-ID devices for data collection, fi filtering and consolidation. It also serves as an application bridge to many of the world’s leading information systems. As TAVIS-powered solutions enable device-independent data collection from a wide variety of devices, they can accommodate active RFID readers, passive RFID readers, EPC readers, remote sensors, barcode scanners, Wi-Fi access points and GPS receivers.
During negotiations with RF Code, it was decided that Burlington, MA-based JDS Professional Services would handle the integration of the system and contribute its CALTS™ asset tracking suite. JDS is part of the JE Consulting group of companies, whose expertise in implementing active and passive RFID technologies is supported by dealer networks serving China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan in addition to their presence in Europe.
CALTS is a software suite built on the TAVIS platform that leverages the collected RFID data by way of a powerful graphical interface and mapping capabilities. In the case of the pH Europe implementation, it was chosen to track the movement of the company’s IBCs in real-time and provide sophisticated rental visibility and reporting features. Paired with the CALTS Spatial Data Engine (SDE), it would be empowered to translate raw TAVIS data into X, Y and Z spatial coordinates.
JDS president John Hawkins had established a strong relationship with RF Code before his firm was brought on to join the project. He was particularly impressed with his fi first exposure to the Linux version of TAVIS since much of his company’s work is in China where Linux is often required. JDS principals were experienced in the European market and were able to optimize the resources available from Dr. Ivanova and the pH Europe team.
For the pH Europe implementation, JDS recommended Microsoft SQL Server 2000 and the .NET framework to reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) and enable an easy setup process. The combination of SQL Server and TAVIS was also seen as a highly scalable proposition that would allow pH Europe to quickly expand and add native language functionality as they acquired new customers throughout Europe, and beyond. It was important to keep support costs down and ensure that multiple versions of the software weren’t necessary to add functionality or plug-in modules.
THE RESULT
After several months of installation and testing procedures, the TAVIS-powered solution was formally unveiled in August 2004. As a result, pH Europe was able to establish a fully automated checkout process.
Now, as trucks are loaded with IBCs, the administrators at pH Europe receive real-time, positive verification of the load immediately. Each truck moves through an automated checkout that is completed in less than five seconds as it leaves pH Europe property. In the time it takes to drive through the gate, all assets are accounted for — even on a fully loaded truck carrying 44 IBCs!
Each container is related to the truck for tracking purposes, and the truck’s GPS data is used to track each load. With the device-independent nature of the system, each IBC can be individually accounted for with short-range handheld readers upon delivery or automatically processed if the destination site also employs an RFID solution. Tag readers from Alien, Zebra, Texas Instruments and more are fully supported by the system. The team at pH Europe can even monitor a delivered IBC’s location from their centrally managed control station.
Since the TAVIS-powered solution was brought online, it has enabled each IBC to generate maximum revenue for the company. The pH Europe inventory does not sit idle due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Once rented, each container is prepped and ready to be put into service before the trucks even arrive. And after trucks arrive, the IBCs are quickly on their way without the need for human interaction beyond physically loading them.
Hazardous materials, dangerous chemicals and highly regulated liquids can be matched with their own individual safety data sheets at the time they are rented.
In this way, their properties and characteristics can be recorded and readily available in a variety of formats from data included on the tag.
Secondary Benefits
- The flexibility and scalability of the new system will not be fully taxed even as pH Europe and its customers make new demands for it.
- Beyond recognizing the benefits in their supply chain, pH Europe will market the tracking service to their customers. It is branded Finder™ by the company and will be provided as a line-item service option on each rental agreement and will also be extended to include non-container assets as well.
- As their customers install local RFID systems in their warehouse and stockyard facilities, a completely automated and fully visible environment will evolve.
- (Already) customers are inquiring about advanced functionality. For example, a food processing company is interested in monitoring the temperature of perishable meat products while in transit. A chemical company is interested in motion detection and tamper-proof applications. Another client wants to investigate read/write tags for associating new data directly on the tag while in the field.
- With TAVIS as the platform powering the Finder offering, pH Europe can incorporate new customer requests, add additional Auto-ID devices, and even support EPC-compliant pallets of tagged RFID products as demand warrants.
Hardware:
- 802.11b WLAN hardware from D-Link
- Mantis II Active RFID readers (ETSI-compliant 433 MHz) from RF Code
- Mantis Active RFID Tags (ETSI-compliant 433 MHz) from RF Code
- Low-power PC server, (Intel Celeron with 378 MB RAM)
- Notebook computer (Intel Centrino) for warehouse reporting and demonstrations
Software:
- TAVIS (version 2.1) Data Management Platform from RF Code
- CALTS (version 1.1) Real-Time Asset Tracking Suite from JDS
- CALTS CMM (Client Management Module) from JDS
- CALTS SDE (version 2.1) Spatial Data Engine from JDS
- Microsoft .NET Framework version 1.1
- Microsoft SQL Server 2000
- Crystal Reports for Visual Studio .NET
- Custom pH Europe Finder user interface
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