Mar/April 2009

Automatic high-precision tracking of resources within warehouses has been added to the range of features available in the portfolio of Skillweb, a specialist in supply-chain applications such as consignment tracking and POD management.

The new capability has been introduced through a partnership between Skillweb and Ubisense, a world leader in precise real-time location systems. Ubisense has brought to bear its ultra-wide band (UWB) tracking system, which uses RFID tags in conjunction with strategically-located wireless sensors, and is said to be accurate down to a matter of inches.

According to Skillweb managing director Paul Ridden, customers had been asking for a tracking capability suitable for locating assets such as individual pallets, fork-lift trucks, scanners and even people within warehouses, and tracking them in real time. Conventional RFID systems, using fixed scanners, were ruled out, but the Ubisense system provided the required flexibility.

The system has been integrated into Skillweb's existing track and trace software, allowing it to be deployed quickly, with minimal equipment requirement.