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September 07, 2005
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"We view WhereNet as a leapfrog technology that will make a major impact on our ability to increase throughput while reducing costs," said Wim Milder, general manager of information and communication technologies for the Broekman Group. "The most powerful tool for any manager is accurate, real-time information about the location and status of work-in-process inventory. Without any human intervention, the WhereNet system automatically records accurate location data about every vehicle across our expansive facility, allowing us to dramatically reduce our call-for-delivery cycle time and expedite vehicle delivery to dealers to keep up with consumer demand." When new vehicles arrive at Broekman's Rotterdam Car Terminal, each vehicle is assigned an active RFID WhereTag(TM) transmitter that is "married" to the vehicle identification number (VIN). The WhereTag remains on the vehicle until it has been processed and is ready to ship to one of several hundred European dealerships. The Rotterdam Car Terminal installation also includes 125 WhereLAN(TM) locating access points and 400 WherePort(TM) devices that trigger each WhereTag to emit a signal when entering or leaving a specific zone; this design enables the system to automatically record such information as arrival, dwell, and departure time. By using the WhereNet vehicle location system, the Broekman Group expects to realize a complete return on investment in less than one year through numerous benefits, including: * Labor savings resulting from reducing search time from hours to seconds as the WhereNet system graphically displays the location of every tagged vehicle at the terminal * Improved yard utilization and throughput, enabling greater capacity * Increased damage control, as vehicles can now be identified without workers having to open doors to read the VIN and are therefore less likely to incur "dings" during processing * Better customer service that provides a competitive advantage in the automotive logistics market and results in higher customer satisfaction and new business "In high-volume, high-velocity distribution environments, bar codes and passive RFID can only get you so far. When you are processing about 800 vehicles a day and your customer is demanding delivery of new vehicles to keep up with consumer demand, you can't afford to wait around and 'hope' your workers can fulfill the request," said Matt Armanino, senior vice president of corporate development for WhereNet. "The Broekman Group recognizes that in order to achieve the next level of efficiency gains, it must continue to innovate and automate business processes. Broekman chose WhereNet in recognition of our ability to drive unprecedented productivity improvements through our active RFID-based technology." "By partnering with WhereNet, we can leverage the strength of our alliance infrastructure and proven best practices, and WhereNet's industry-leading locatable, active RFID solutions," said Joseph Owusu, partner, Mieloo & Alexander. "The Broekman Group deployment in Rotterdam represents the first of many joint customers that will benefit from the combined domain expertise, integration, and best-of-breed technology solutions offered through the strategic alliance of Mieloo & Alexander and WhereNet." (Sep 7, 2005)
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