IUID Blog

As if supporting the DoD’s successful implementation of UID weren’t a large enough undertaking, A2B is also providing support to AIM NA’s (www.aim-na.org) early formulation of the Internet of Things working group.  (Read More)

As you can see from the two links below, UID stands at the core of problem solving in industries such as pharmaceuticals and food distribution. Counterfeit drugs and unsafe food are very real concerns that affect all of us. On the one hand there are the obvious health and safety issues, but an even more pervasive problem is the cost to combat and recall bogus products. Counterfeit products also abound in the fashion, tobacco, software and entertainment industries. (Read More)

Today I am flying to Orlando for the semi-annual UID Forum. I will also be meeting with various branches of the military as well as members of the UID Suppliers Alliance. We anticipate a significant show as attendance has swollen to over 850. Each of those attendees has been charged with the implementation of MIL STD 130 - the DoD’s UID, in one way or another. (Read More)

Recent changes to all property bearing contracts administrated by the DCMA are having an effect on government furnished property (GFP) property managers. There is movement away from high level aggregate reporting of government property (GFP) TOWARD item specific reporting that falls in line with DFARS 252.211-7007. This is illustrated by the Jan 11, 2010 Memorandum from Director, Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy (DPAP) Shay Assad in which he calls upon the Directors of virtually all DoD procurement and contracts agencies to formulate a detailed set of milestones for IUID implementation within six months. (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)

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)

Welcome to the UID Blog. There’s an old saying that says: “Once you’re over the hill, you pick up speed.” UID and RFID are over the hills of doubt and resistance, and indeed they are picking up speed. Compliance has evolved enormously since the concept of tracking serialized assets was first introduced by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics back in 2003. We have seen the DoD and its suppliers go from doubt and resistance, to vague interest, to an understanding of the benefits, to willing participants and co-creators of this methodology for realizing unheard of efficiencies in the military and beyond. (Read More)