New FIATECH Report Available: RFID Technology for Tracking Fabricated Pipe Phase IISunday, 28 November 2004 18:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AUSTIN, TX, November 29, 2004 — FIATECH has published "Field Trials of RFID Technologyfor Tracking Fabricated Pipe - Phase 11," the fourth report published by the FIATECH SmartChips project this year.

The field trials described in this report tested the reliability of RFID technology in an applicationthat would automate the critical task of documenting the delivery and receipt of uniquely taggedconstruction materials and equipment. The trials tested the ability of RFID systems to identifyaccurately unique spools of fabricated pipe passing through a portal gate. This portal applicationwas deemed to be one of the most technically challenging uses of RFID in a realisticconstruction environment because of the dense metal environment, the large number of itemsto be read quickly and the need for long reading distances.

The results of the trials indicate that current active RFID technology can work reliably in such anapplication. In addition, the researchers interviewed industry practitioners and technologists inorder to identify and describe some potential benefits of automating the tracking of uniquematerials at various points in the construction supply chain. The report describes typical genericsteps in a construction supply chain, including fabrication, interim handling (e.g. third partypainting of fabricated pipe), construction site receiving, issue to crafts, and installation progress.At each of these steps, we have identified some perceived inefficiencies and problems thatmight be addressed by RFID technology. The researchers concluded that RFID technology hasthe potential to both improve the efficiency and the accuracy of current manual trackingprocesses, and eventually could enable a more complete automation of these processes.

"I think the most interesting part of this report is the proposed use case scenarios for RFIDtechnology tracking tagged items in the construction process, all the way from fabricationthrough installation and progress/QA monitoring," explains Charles Wood, FIATECH ProjectManager. "These scenarios give us a much more complete assessment of the potential value ofRFID technology than has ever been considered before."

The FIATECH Smart Chips project offers its sponsor companies the opportunity to conductlow-cost or no-cost pilot trials of cutting edge technologies, as well as monthly informationalworkshops to stay informed about technology developments affecting the construction and

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New FIATECH Report Available: RFID Technology for Tracking Fabricated Pipe Phase IISunday, 28 November 2004 18:00

operation of plant sites. For more information about this field trial or the FIATECH Smart ChipsProject, contact Charles Wood at (713) 523-5380 or cwood@fiatech.org . Or, visit the Web siteat http://www.fiatech.org/projects/ijs/schips.htm.

FIATECH members can obtain copies of the report in the Member's Only section on theFIATECH web site. Non-members can purchase a copy for $375.00 by contacting Janie Bushnin the FIATECH office at 512-232-9669 or bushn@fiatech.org.

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