Savi Debuts New RFID-enabled Solution

Asset Management System 4.3 intended to improve performance of cargo containers and real-time visibility of items in-transit or onsite

Asset Management System 4.3 intended to improve performance of cargo containers and real-time visibility of items in-transit or onsite

Sunnyvale, CA — July 6, 2004 — Savi Technology has introduced new radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled software with an expanded toolset to manage, diagnose and optimize supply chain asset utilization.

As Savi sees it, improved software tools, diagnostics and analytics for managing these conveyances — the workhorses that move goods worldwide — provide better supply chain service, operational efficiency, asset utilization and recovery of lost assets, while reducing costs, stock on hand and inventory, for asset owners, shippers, retailers and suppliers.

Savi is touting the utility of its Asset Management System 4.3 for improving the performance of cargo containers and real-time visibility of items in-transit or onsite.

When linked via Savi's SmartChain Supply Network Operating System to various types of automatic identification and data collection (AIDC) devices — including active, passive and electronic product code (EPC)-compliant RFID technologies, the upgraded Savi AMS 4.3 also provides better item-level visibility of the conveyance's contents as they're transported throughout the global supply chain, Savi said.

Additional software features enable users to better manage assets throughout their entire lifecycle, from acquisition and maintenance scheduling to disposition, according to the provider.

"The real value of RFID is in the software that can truly transform real-time accurate raw data into operational information and process actions that generate business value," said Ravi Rajapakse, Savi's chief technology officer. "This is easier said than done and requires software with the appropriate model of the objects and process in the operation being modeled and the right architecture, components and performance."

Rajapakse said that Savi's latest generation of AMS can provide new levels of investment returns for companies that have implemented asset optimization and tracking systems, including retailers and their suppliers needing distribution system visibility, remanufacturing and repair for automating work-in-progress, as well as asset management for cargo shipments across all links and utilizing all modes in the supply chain.

New features in AMS 4.3 include upgrades to existing capabilities to improve management of assets, networks, processes and customers, as well as inventory optimization.

New and improved KPIs provide perspectives on how the enterprise is responding to customer demand; asset utilization summaries; information on the time it takes from order to shipment and delivery, and, reports on cycle times, user activity, asset turns and asset utilization.

Integration of inventory optimization algorithms from GAINSystems supports real-time forecasting of inbound and outbound demand, enabling users to better plan and schedule based on historical trends, as well as optimally preposition asset inventory to meet expected demand, Savi said.

A new Management Console provides a system-wide tool with utilities for system configuration and testing. The utilities include logging control, activity testing and performance monitoring.

Finally, general trend reports enable users to view trends such as user activities and processes from numerous perspectives, including by checkpoints, routes, zones, asset inventory, cycle times, turns and demand, and self-detection capabilities within the SaviTags (600 series built on EchoPoint technology), alert users to times when the battery-powered devices are running low.

In addition to AMS 4.3, Savi also is upgrading its Transportation Security System (TSS) software application, which provides real-time information on the location as well as security status of international shipments. When integrated with Savi's SmartChain network platform, both AMS and TSS provide real-time visibility of RFID-tagged shipments most anywhere in the world, the provider said.

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