To In-Transit Visibility and Beyond: Complete Asset Visibility

Introduction

In 1991, at the end of the Gulf War, over 8,000 shipping containers remained unopened. This equated to 2.7 billion dollars of equipment, supplies, and repair parts that never made it to the war fighter. Over 40,000 containers were shipped in support of the Operation Desert Storm (ODS). Most of those containers were either mislabeled or missing identification. This caused backlogs throughout the supply chain, which resulted in the loss of countless man-hours in the form of physical counts and inventories (Holland, Patterson, & Cunningham, 2005, p. 26). It was obvious that the military needed to improve its ability to track assets. ITV was a concept that was developed out of necessity as a result of that war.

Background

ITV is defined by the DoD as the near-real-time capability to track logistic resources and transportation assets while they are mobile and underway (Hawkins, 2007, p. 124). Valuable lessons were learned from the Gulf War, and ITV was extensively used in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF) and is still in use in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). Although its primary purpose has been focused on the movement of combat-related convoys, this has provided proof that the technology is capable of being expanded beyond its original intent.

After the initial invasion of Iraq in support of OIF, 1,400 trucks operated daily in order to provide critical equipment and supplies to the troops (Kolleda, 2005, p. 8). ITV was used in the monitoring and management of those convoys. Through the utilization of ITV, asset visibility was increased and thus increased vehicle movement efficiencies. ITV provided the ability to identifying constrictive routes and choke points allowing convoys to be redirected prior to delay. Other improvements were made possible and seen in recovery response times, as in vehicle recovery, medical evacuation, and/or additional combat support. Greater use of ITV has also allowed for the early notification and projection of intercontinental traffic delays or premature arrivals, allowing preparatory time on the ground in contrast to a no notice reactionary measure. These are vast improvements from the days of ODS, but there is still a need for improvement and expansion of these existing technologies.

There are additional inefficiencies within the supply chain that can benefit from this technology. In these austere economic times, simply tracking the movement of assets from point A to B is not enough. Knowing what type of cargo and how much of it there is, is a necessity in providing efficient logistical support. The use of existing RFID technology can be used in the management of inventory as well as that of equipment maintenance. Civilian businesses have already seen the benefits from possessing accurate real time inventory management and have reaped the rewards. By combining these levels