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What is Visibility?
What is Visibility?
Simply speaking VisibiliTy is a solution that enables you to have sight of, and optimise your asset fleet patterns and movements in order to make (primarily) cost reduction decisions that positively impact your business. It also enables you to plan accurately for the future, as well as offering softer but still potentially measurable benefits relating to product quality and customer satisfaction.
Read more about the asset tracking benefits here.
What Visibility does it give me in my supply chain?
The solution enables you to locate containers in various areas of the supply chain by tracking their movements. The depth and level of visibility depends on how much of your fleet is tagged, and where readers are placed. However in terms of visibility of fundamental KPI’s such as losses, cycle times, population calculation and future purchase requirements, this can often be obtained with a partially tagged fleet, with readers in strategic locations.
What problems will it solve?
The solution provides actionable information to solve many different problems for many different clients. Typically customers come to us with five key asset management questions which can be solved by implementing the solution and using the information. This ultimately results in benefits from reduced container losses, lower maintenance costs, minimised spending on new containers, redeployed resources, enhanced product quality and improvement of supply chain efficiency.
How much can I save?
That depends on the size of your problem. We ask all clients to go through a basic evaluation in order for us determine value. An example client with a fleet size of 300,000 that is seeing draught sales growing by small single digit percentages can typically see cost savings worth 2.36 million pounds alone on reduced spend on new containers over a 5 year period.
Will I be able to see a containers location at all times?
Containers will be tracked according to where you select to place reading technology within your supply chain. Local scanning at the brewery is usually the minimum standard, meaning that containers are not visible again until they return to a scan point in a brewery. However, even just this initial phase implementation with partial tagging can answer the three burning questions of how large is my asset population, what is my loss rate, and what are the container cycle times. Clients then move on to deeper phases, more containers are tagged and further technology (portable in some cases) is installed to enable more read points. The gold standard is obviously 100%, which would then incorporate POD (Proof of Delivery) at the delivery customer level and reverse.
How do I track beer kegs or containers in a National Network?
Containers moving in national networks can be captured by the use of UHF technology and strategically placed gate readers. This can also be a portable solution, which will allow you to identify problematic areas cost effectively if you do not wish to move to full network tracking.
What can I do to influence my customers’ behaviour?
Accountability and location identification is probably the most powerful information that you can use to determine problematic areas of the supply chain. Depending on the level of depth your solution reaches, you are able to see which container is at which location and how long it has been there, how long it took to return (if at all), through to a complete level of traceability that matches customer to individual container. Many 3rd party partners, as well as remote company sites, are often not aware that unnecessary dwell in a location has a huge capital implication. However, it is only when this information is captured and explained, will behaviour change. It is a lack of information, not bad intentions, that causes much of the avoidable inefficiency that affects your bottom line.
Do I need to tag my entire fleet in order to benefit from the solution?
In a word, no. Partial tagging can have an extremely positive effect on your business.
How can I get value from implementing in steps?
More value is obtained as more stages are implemented. For example in brewing, moving from the baseline phase forwards brewers can achieve value at each step level, from basic single point scanning a deep level of tracking that can extend into their other operations such as point of sale or proof of delivery.
How Many Readers will I need?
This depends on the level of detail you require and the stage you are currently in supply chain tracking wise. In a basic first phase of the solution it may only be readers on filling lines intially. Later on readers can also be installed in national distribution, and even the final destination. Visibility can also supply portable readers that can be used strategically around your supply chain.
Must I Use RFID?
No. We have successful implementations using traditional barcodes, and currently offer a 2D coding variation using laser marking directly onto containers. However RFID offers the added advantage of scanning without line of sight, meaning that forklift loads, and/or full truck-loads of containers can be identified in one single scan * Full Truck Load Scanning is possible where the delivery vehicles are not fully encased steel sided..
How many tags will I need - will it be one tag for every single container?
Not necessarily. Partial fleet tagging of 25% and upwards can provide very accurate data that can be turned into valuable business changing information. Even at levels lower than this, some indicative information can be valuable, as a start point to prove value.
How much does it cost?
Solutions are capitalised on a per container per year basis, or on a traditional project plus annual maintenance basis. We are also able to fund projects based on a percentage of your actual ROI in some qualified cases.
How long does it take to implement and tag my container fleet?
This depends on a)the number you wish to tag and b) the current cycle times of your fleet which will determine the intervals we are able to tag at. We are able to tag at point of manufacture using our team resource or supply your team with training and equipment so that you are able to integrate this into your current and future operations.
My staff are paid to control this issue, are you just adding further cost?
No. By adopting the solution with RFID as the driver you can actually redeploy manual resource currently used to track assets. Plus, we would ask the question as to how effective and accurate you think existing manual models are.
Can I track other assets?
Absolutely.The team at VisibiliTy have been in supply chain for many years and we have experience with a variety of assets from rollcages, tote-boxes, pallets, right through to individual consignments.
How would this information assist in my financial treatment of my assets?
The solution enables you to operate your business with more control. Your NBV (Net Book Value) can be realised, purchases are scientific and managed, as are divestments.
A tag would not prevent theft
A tag in itself is not designed to be a direct anti-theft device; it is how the information is used that helps prevent theft. By tracking locations, patterns and problematic supply chain areas, we have successfully
helped clients prevent large scale thefts.
If I do have an issue with a channel/client, can I add additional technology?
Absolutely – as mentioned previously we have portable modules that can be used as and where necessary.
How would I maintain the system?
We offer a comprehensive maintenance service that enables us to tap into the solution remotely, or visit the premises if required.
Are there additional services you can provide?
We’re supply chain experts when it comes to traceability and have implemented hundreds of Auto ID driven projects over the years.
How does it interact with my existing systems?
That is dependent on what system you are currently operating. We have interacted with a wide variety of systems and our team are experienced in this area.
I don’t know my current population, so how can I start to plan effectively?
The team at Visibility can work with you to analyise through an assessment process to get an approximate size of your fleet
We have a deposit scheme, so what else can Visibility give me?
Visibility can enhance that scheme by providing complete traceability of each individual container / asset. Additionally RFID can automate the deposit scheme, as well as providing other benefits such as preventative maintenance and supply chain optimisation.
Avoiding purchasing is not a ROI measure.
The solution isn’t only about avoiding purchasing. It is based on making your assets work harder for you, so that you don’t have to budget for so many, and in-fact know exactly how many you require based on your sales forecast.
RFID doesn’t have a good reputation I am wary of adopting it.
RFID is extremely well adopted in asset management, and in the case of Visibility we have implemented the largest beer keg tracking solution in the world, with over 5 million assets tagged currently.
Talk to us today about how you can reach into your asset supply chain.....
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