The Good Old Days

For most precasters 2007/2008 was an unbelievable time.  Business was booming…I mean really BOOMING! Generally speaking, most precasters were barely keeping up with demand, plants were hiring, revenues and profits were way up, old equipment and systems were being replaced, and life was good.

But was it really?

Sure, in one sense they were but on the other hand there were some incredible challenges as well.  I was recently speaking to a guy down in Texas about this and he said, “We were dying.  2008 was our best year ever by about 70%, but I won’t soon forget the toll it took on our people and our plant.  Granted, we had money to invest in solutions to help with some of the challenges, but it was a very difficult time for everyone here.”  He went on to say that, as a company, they were not prepared for the demand they experienced (but realistically how could they be? They had never seen anything like it before!) and learned a great deal about how they would do things in the future.  Remember, this is the President for 25 yrs. of an established well known precaster.

As I reflect on this guy’s comments (and he is by the way going to be a customer of ICT), it makes me wonder what some of the issues you and your organization experienced during this time.  Was it all roses (which I doubt) or did you suffer in some of the ways his people did? And if you did, how so?

They say that, “the race is won in the turns.”  And this is as true for business as it is for sports. In my opinion (and I would be glad to hear your thoughts on it as well), those organizations that use the “turn” we are in to get better, invest in the future, and prepare for the straightaway coming up will be better able grow market share, attract and retain the right people, and strengthen their position in the industry. Those that don’t, will be caught flat-footed and will have already lost. As my friend in Texas pointed out, “My memory is still pretty sharp, and next time around we won’t have the same problems. Sure, there will be new problems, but I’ll be damned if we can’t learn from the past.”

In what ways are you preparing for the next wave? Or are you waiting for “the right time” to start? We would love to hear from you.

“According to Greg Stratis, Amesbury plant manager, E.F. Shea Concrete Products not only has been using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems from International Coding Technologies (ICT), Inc., of Beverly, Mass., but they also are the go-to demo partner for each system upgrade.”

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“To accommodate to the increasing demand of RFID tracking while maintaining affordability and reliability, International Coding Technologies has released a rugged RFID tag line-up designed for concrete, steel, pallets and other assets, all for under a dollar.”

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Ruggedized RFID Tag for ICT Breaks Dollar Price Barrier

http://www.pr.com/press-release/206762

January 11, 2010 Lynnfield, Massachusetts – International Coding Technologies, Inc. announced today the release of a rugged RFID identification tag for concrete, steel, pallets and other assets for under a $1.00. A single tag with human readable format, a bar code and RFID all on one RFID inlay. This inlay is sealed in a ruggedized, watertight, dust proof plastic unit that can be permanently attached to products in harsh environments.
The tag is made in three variation, Cast-A-Code® for concrete, Steel Code® for steel structures and Pallet Code© which comes with adhesive backing or screw holes for attachment. The ruggedized tag can use many different RFID inlays from numerous vendors, the only requirement is that it fits the into the current form factor of 4” by 1”.
“The need to attach RFID tags to products in changeling environmental conditions has been increasing” states Tom Tilson CEO of ICT. The limiting factor has been price, now with ICT tags approaching prices substantially less than $1 with volume orders, will increase RFID tagging activity in these changeling areas.
ICT also offers TrackCon®, a mobile computer based system which uses the data from the tag to provide management with complete product identification and tracking through the entire life cycle of the product. Management now has a system to report and manage in real-time assets in these changeling areas.
For additional information visit: http://www.ictrfid.com

About International Coding Technologies, Inc
International Coding Technologies, Inc. (ICT) was established to design, develop and implement tracking solutions for steel and concrete industries world wide. Headquartered in the United States, this privately held Massachusetts company has built systems based on its own Intellectual property; TrackCon®, Steel-Code®, Pallet Code© and Cast-A-Code®. These systems are used in the identification of steel, concrete structures and other assets to automatically track their movement from cradle to grave.

For more information contact:
Mr. Tom Tilson
International Coding Technologies, Inc
6 Liberty Lane
Lynnfield, MA 01949
Phone: 978-212-7014
Email: ttilson@ictrfid.com

Just like an arrow shot straight up in the air would continue to climb if not for gravity. But, the force of gravity changes its course and limits its climb, just as productivity can limit the climb of business to higher profits. To increase the distance an arrow travels you build bigger bows and sleeker arrows, to increase productivity in a business you bring in better people, faster machines, better production techniques and systems to management and measure these assets.

In the 1970’s, bar-coding increased productivity by indentifying and tracking individual products or assets. It is little debated that bar-coding, for those businesses able to implement it, has increased productivity thus profits. RFID, which is an enhanced bar code or what is called an auto-identification technology, will again revolutionize business practices. RFID technology will allow millions of products, unable to use traditional bar-coding, to be tracked and managed.

RFID for Concrete

The Precast Concrete industry is one of those industries for which barcodes are not an optimal solution. Bar-coding has been deployed, but with little success. Maintaining barcode readability and attachment to a concrete structure is difficult at best. RFID solves many of issues surrounding tracking individual precast concrete structures.

By implementing a well designed RFID based system in a Precast plant, management will now have new tools, which as one Precaster stated, “We only dreamt about”.  RFID technology is an interrogation or data collection tool. Recording tasks and gathering data at predetermined points in the life cycle of a product will feed management a Real-Time High Definition View of their Precast business. With a Real-Time High Definition View of operations, the Precaster will be able to make major strides forward in fighting the dragging effects of counter productivity.

Precast Plant productivity will be improved in the follow areas using RFID:

 Quality Control by letting this group scan the RFID tag early this not only reduces time consuming paperwork but provides instantaneous reporting on what state the structure is in, such as, fabrication, pre-pour, post-pour, repair or available. By QC associating the tag to the product, all other scans throughout the life cycle are easily accomplished and a true quality assurance program is maintained.

Batch number tracking can lead to recording real-time yield trends to better manage material usage. This also enhances the QA program by attaching a batch number to the structure in a real-time environment.

 Production tracking is accomplished every time a scan of a process or task is performed on a structure by collecting time and user information. With this information, reports and other analytical tools can be used to better manage assets like forms, forklifts, delivery vehicles and people.

GPS yard locating dramatically reduces the time spend locating products in the yard, and can provide a physical view of the facility and the products and assets.

Cycle counting by non-management employees will reduce costs and supply more accurate inventories.

Work order tracking will give instant status of a product, increasing the productivity of customer service and improve customer satisfaction.

Pick and Ship Validation will reduce incorrect shipments, reducing costs associated with re-shipping or re-making as well as improved customer relations.

Proof of delivery will not only provide easier confirmation of deliveries for the Precaster, but provide location tracking for the customer.

Transfer of Electronic Data to the customer now becomes a value added product to those customers who require jobsite tracking at virtually no cost to the Precaster.

 In any business, a well design and implemented barcode and RFID system creates a more efficient and profitable company. With advancements in RFID technology the Precaster now has the best answer to increased productivity within their plants.

For additional information contact:

International Coding Technologies, Inc.
6 Liberty Lane
Lynnfield, MA 01940 USA

Toll Free: 1.800.613.7674
Telephone: +1.978.212.7014
Email: sales@ictrfid.com
Email: support@ictrfid.com