IUID Blog

Although the DoD and the UID policy office have achieved significant momentum in implementing UID, there are still plenty of hurdles to overcome. One of them is bad UIDs. I’m not talking about choosing the wrong barcode symbology. I’m not talking about the quality of the UID 2D Data Matrix image. I’m talking about encoding to MIL-STD-130. (Read More)

The world witnessed some of the earliest benefits of automated data capture technology in the form of bar code back in the 60’s.  Huge railroad cars would meander back and forth across the country with valuable contents that would be periodically misplaced while in transit.  Imagine a yard full of hundreds of railroad cars that look exactly alike and trying to find valuable contents such as a million dollars worth of equipment that must be routed to the correct destination. (Read More)

I don’t mean to be overly simplistic but these questions frame the challenges that we see every day as the US military rolls out their UID policy to track valuable DoD assets and equipment around the world.  Every day we receive phone calls or meet people at conferences and they ask the same question: What items do I need to mark?  Of course, they typically are asking what the DoD’s policy dictates, but I believe that definition is far too narrow as it only begins the analysis of what  in your custody or area of responsibility MUST be marked.  (Read More)

A2B is hosting a 90 minute Users Group meeting this month, on Feb 24, 2010 at 0700, during the UID Forum in San Antonio.  The conference hotel will have a room dedicated to the event.  It’s a breakfast meeting so bring your appetite plus questions and experiences that you can share with the rest of the UID Comply!® software user community.  We also welcome prospective users who will learn about both the commercial and military use of A2B’s UID compliance software to meet the obligations set forth by MIL-STD-130.  (Read More)

It’s been a busy start to the year already.  A few of the notable activities going on at A2B as we roll into the month of February: (Read More)

Here are the steps you will need to follow for Seek and Apply marking: Identify your inventory of items. Locate the items.  Place a Data Matrix bar code on each item.  Make sure the labels and plates stick. (Read More)

Most of the A2B staff took time out to enjoy our annual holiday party at the Boathouse Restaurant, overlooking the picturesque Sakonnet River in Tiverton, Rhode Island.  As I looked around the room I reflected that we were also celebrating 15 years as a company. What’s more 2009 was our best year yet.  We owe our customers a great deal of thanks. It’s a good feeling to know that we haven’t peaked as a business..   (Read More)

Milan, Italy plays host to ID World, a strong, international annual ID industry event. This huge conference brings together professionals from the following AIT technologies and disciplines: bar code, RFID, biometrics, and smart cards.  Subjects ranged from securing personnel identity and payments over the Internet to tracking critical assets using global ID standards. (Read More)

Last week in Phoenix AZ, at the DoD Maintenance Symposium, I was fortunate to hear General Ann Dunwoody, Commanding General of US Army Materiel Command.  She inspired the audience with a call to action, namely to consider the reality for the US military in light of a future with a significant budget deficit.  In short, that means less money to support the war fighter. (Read More)