SDCExec.com |

Santa Clara, CA — July 29, 2008 — Navistar Defense announced this week it has deployed the standards-based WhereNet Corp.'s active radio frequency identification (RFID), real-time locating system (RTLS) to automate work-in-process tracking at its West Point, Miss., manufacturing facility.

Implemented in 30 days, the system is expected to help reduce production costs and accelerate delivery of the MaxxPro MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicles for the United States Department of Defense. MaxxPro MRAP vehicles are designed to protect troops from roadside bombs and other growing threats in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"After a thorough evaluation of solutions providers, we selected WhereNet because its real-time visibility solution has a proven track record of reducing costs, improving quality and expediting production in industrial manufacturing environments," said Rex Baldwin, IT project lead for Navistar Defense. "Among all of its other benefits, the system's impact on reducing cycle time aligns perfectly with our ultimate goal of rapidly delivering MRAP vehicles to the U.S. military to protect our troops in harm's way."

Spanning more than one million square feet indoors and out, the WhereNet system consists of a local infrastructure of five wireless WhereLAN location sensors and 13 WhereLAN locating access points that can be used for determining the location of assets as well as Wi-Fi mobile data communication. In addition, there are 400 active RFID WhereTag transmitters that are attached to MRAP chassis at the beginning of the armor-plating process, as well as WherePort magnetic "exciters" that trigger the transmitters to emit a signal when entering or leaving a specific work cell, enabling the system to automatically record such information as arrival, dwell and departure time without any human intervention.

The WhereNet Visibility Software Suite (VSS) provides constant visibility for each tagged vehicle, enabling Navistar to track and manage the manufacturing of every MRAP vehicle as it passes through the assembly, paint, testing, adjustment and inspection processes. After the on-site Defense Department officials perform the final testing on each finished MRAP vehicle, the WhereTag transmitters are removed, and the vehicles are loaded onto flatbed trailers for final delivery.

Navistar said it expects to realize a complete return on its investment in less than one year through numerous benefits, including reduced labor cost for MRAP production processes, increased throughput/reduced on-site dwell time and higher-quality vehicles.

Based on the rapid deployment and benefits the company has already gained from the initial implementation, Navistar said it will install additional WherePort devices this summer to provide more detailed event management reporting from the production line. Navistar is also evaluating WhereNet's vehicle tracking and management system (VTMS) software, which would leverage the same WhereLAN infrastructure and drive additional value and return on investment through enhanced workflow automation.