What is asset and property protection?

What we’re talking about here is product, stock, property and asset marking, tagging and tracking.  Not necessarily all together and all at once however used as effective deterrent and detection devices to help:

• Deter thieves
• Track effectively then prove rightful property ownership once found
• Recover lost or stolen property quickly through forensic level proof

Why have asset and property protection in the first place?

Taking a cold hard view there are lots of business costs when property and assets are lost.  These can include:

1. Replacement cost of stolen property
2. Sales downturn
3. Logistical and operational debilitation
4. Insurance claims leading to premium rises
5. Negative PR
6. Shareholder pressure

Is this enough to warrant protection?

Individual organisations argue it depends on the size of the prize for them.  That said there must be measurement in place to know this.  Simple ways to measure are through corporate audits to find out what needs protecting with financial and business values placed on them.  In addition, financial data is an obvious starting point to understand shrinkage, product and asset losses and theft.

There is however plenty of other information and guidance about, plus more is on the way.  President Obama for example sees its importance.  By introducing track and trace measures in the U.S. products become more protected.  Read more here>>

BT also see the importance of protecting their property, by putting in place a security team working with the police.  BT claims that theft such as copper wire rose by 9% last year. The claim is that it causes considerable disruption to businesses and homes across the UK, as they’re left without any phone or internet service when the incidents occur.

Insurance companies also see benefits often lowering premiums when asset protection measures are taken.  This saves companies money immediately and yet not all companies are taking up these opportunities.

There are also statistics showing deterrent measures reduce theft risk.  enigmaTAG property protector we sell for example reduced crime in Hertfordshire by over 50%.

On top of all this, the global market for counterfeit and theft is growing.

So why aren’t organisations employing more protection measures?

A lack of action is seen by many organisations however why is this the case?

1. Protection systems can be compromised

There are protection systems in the market place that can be hacked, broken, removed and themselves be stolen and counterfeited.  So identifying your security needs with a trusted partner is a must to help you understand your protection requirements and then weaving your way through the maze of possible best solutions. 

2. Security products can’t be built into organisation’s existing systems, processes or products

Some security products require costly bespoke work to fit in with operational, manufacturing and logistics processes enabling the business to run “normally.”   Other products are available that fit in with your organisation’s operations.  For example we work with Stealthmark who specialise in providing off the shelf security products for this purpose.

3. Product & asset protection is too costly

RFID is often cited as a good example of a costly protection product, particularly in manufacturing, logistics and healthcare.  There are however alternatives including wireless tracking, product, stock and asset marking alternatives.  These can be very cost effective solutions and have some major advantages over RFID.

In addition when organisations and individuals take a view that “theft is someone else’s problem” and “it’ll never happen to us” or “we aren’t affected much by theft” then even if this were true, why take the chance when there are plenty of deterrent and protection technologies and options available that give a good return on investment e.g. through insurance savings or effective deterrents bringing shrinkage reduction?

Actually yet another way to protect products and assets without using third party products is make staff accountable and train them.  You can incorporate an asset or product protection policy into the company’s employment manual that informs the employees of the importance of the company’s assets/products and instructs the employee of his or her responsibility to maintain these while employed.  Then supplement this with relevant training.

5. Only protect within my four walls

Many security programmes exist to protect product and assets within an office, distribution centre or manufacturing plant.  The reality is many products and assets require protection outside these four walls including when in transit or entering other premises.  Whether those other premises are organisation owned or third party great security products exist to help. We sell some of these products that include tagging and tracking in third party vehicles or outside areas too.

6. The supplier network is too complex

Supplier networks that expand across national borders, regional territories and involve different nationalities and cultures have expanded due to outsourcing or to lower costs.  Managing primary suppliers is tough enough, let alone monitoring lower tier contractors that may work in more remote locations.  Plus this task is made more difficult if primary suppliers do not divulge sufficient information on lower tier parties they employ.   Even in these situations however it is still possible to mark products and assets, then monitor and track them through the supply chain or along supply routes.  Unique markings help determine where assets and come from, where they are planned for and who owns them.

7. Administration is too much of a burden

The time and cost of updating tagging and tracking information in a spreadsheet manually, deters organisations from devoting sufficient resources to managing and maintaining the task.  Using a mixture of specially designed software, data capture devices and existing WIFI networks or GPS technology however means this information instead can be automatically captured.

8. Responsibility within an organisation is unclear

Return on investment (ROI) for risk prevention and security can be unclear within an organistion since security covers many departments from operations & logistics, to product quality and procurement.  Help is at hand however since credible suppliers in this area can bring ROI models to the table to help create organisational ownership.

So how effective are property and asset protection products?

We rate an effective ROI across 4 areas.  More can be read here>>

That said a more complete solution needs to take account of other factors including:

• An effective detection being an effective deterrent
• Deterrent warnings
• Staff training to protect products, assets and help manage the administration also deter thieves
• Timely and accurate audits
• Use of tracking systems i.e. software and processes
• Fast detection and recovery processes

Looking at our ROI model and cases to date our products have shown to work.  For example we’ve already quoted our enigmaTAG property protector product.  For more information on trials we have run and case studies that give measurable outcomes please contact us.

Software sophistication

RTLS software is becoming more feature rich, easier to use and can cope with a larger variety of operational and field based situations.  Organisations want to save cost, time and get the most from resources so become more reliant on RTLS.  Examples include:

• Real time stock enquiries in the plant, warehouse, or retail outlet
• Asset location i.e. to find the best asset closest to where a job is
• Mobile worker positioning i.e. to understand where resources are and communicate to individuals or groups based on skills
• Contractor monitoring within and outside buildings
• Lone worker protection in and outdoors
• Understanding where resources and equipment are room by room in a building
• Field workers knowing where the nearest spare parts are
• Capture data on the move and send it back to central systems e.g. from taking pictures, scanning barcodes, collecting positional data to knowing when assets have moved or stopped moving, when they have been in areas or left areas and who has used them.

Device management capabilities

Gone are the days where an organisation needs to rely on a central hub or support centre for repairs and maintenance.  Nowadays rather than shipping units between buildings or countries there is far better capability for:

• Diagnostics, fault finding and understanding problems per device remotely i.e. without the device being sent back to base
• Fixes, patches, wake up calls, software upgrades, parameter changes and even new software deployment being applied remotely
• Poison pills being activated remotely i.e. where hardware is lost or stolen ensuring it effectively “fails to work”

Software platform improvements

A variety of software toolkits and platforms are now available enabling faster applications to be developed for:

• Database and web reporting
• Mobile application design and development
• Remote RTLS monitoring and management
• Cross application development and deployment e.g. enabling software to be more easily developed, remotely deployed across multiple platforms.  So if your employees had a mixture of Blackberry, Apple, HTC android and Windows Mobile devices and your organisation wanted applications for all devices, this is possible

Uniqueness

With improving RTLS technology comes the willingness of organisations to adopt unique applications to suit their organisation.  There is a movement away from a “one size fits all” approach to having applications that support value added business processes, that collect data automatically or easily then integrate that into existing systems seamlessly.

Traceability requirements

More so than ever before equipment, people, inventory and products require more traceability.  Whether it is hospital medicine, food manufacturing or for health and safety requirements there is a dependency on knowing what is going on “within your own four walls” as well as tracing it further afield.  With modern RTLS this is becoming easier to do.  Plus the tracking can be at very sophisticated levels, for example being forensically proven.

Size and weight reductions

Some of the biggest gains in RTLS technology is with “size and weight loss” as hardware is becoming smaller and lighter.  This includes for example:

• Two way tracking and communication devices that are the same size and can have the same functionality of an employee swipe card i.e. this can be used for contractors as well as employees
• Small wireless tracking devices that enable and asset equipment monitoring both indoors and out
• Forensic level tracking that use existing barcode labels

Easier hardware integration

Standard interfaces are making hardware choices easier.  So for example:

• Our warehouse management system software works with any data capture device as long as it is browser based and has many standard interfaces including SAP and for finance systems
• We also have an Order reporting solution that can have many different types of hardware linked to it from own or third party GPS tracking to PDAs, tablet and desktop PCs

This means organisations do not need to wholsale change RTLS hardware or data capture devices.  It also means for example that hardware deployment doesn’t have to be restricted by location, that infact the same software can be used around the business.

Software as a service and greater organisation visibility

The need for greater visibility to more people has help lead to more web based RTLS platforms.  This can ensure greater visibility.  It also however has pushed for alternative pricing models including software as a service (SaaS).  This enables organisations to have more flexible payment including fixed monthly fees or pay as you go.  Thus giving far higher rates of return.

Greater battery life and hardware power

With a reliance on RTLS and mobile devices to work in operations, offices, buildings and in the field comes a greater relieance on device battery and hardware processing power.  Both these have also improved significantly over recent years.  This makes them better suited for professional day to day use.

If you’d like more information on any of the above including Juniper Innovations RTLS devices please contact us>>

One of the aspects of this plan is that The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act is “modified to require that manufacturers, wholesalers and dispensers implement a track-and-trace system, which allows for authentication of the product and creation of an electronic pedigree for medical products using unique identifiers for products. Effective track-and-trace systems can make it more difficult for persons to introduce counterfeit or intentionally adulterated medical products into the U.S. market, make it easier to identify persons responsible for making a product unsafe and facilitate the recall of unsafe products by more quickly identifying where a product is located in the marketplace.”

The Fed’s document however does not describe the fit, form and function of both “unique identifiers” and “track and trace” systems.  We know these can vary tremendously.  Plus the impact on organisations can be a concern.  How will new operational processes and systems change the organisation? What technology will be employed?  To what level will track and trace be implemented?  Will product identifiers be overt or covert?  If the former how will this affect the product packaging and branding?  Plus what is the cost of all this?

Fortunately solutions do exist to help answer and manage issues for all the above questions.  If these are areas that concern you or you’d like full copy of the Fed’s plan please contact Juniper Innovations and ask for more details.  We are happy to help.

Books and lists do exist outlining general functionality.  There are various sources including The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport – CILT and specialised consultancies.  Lists, books and general advice are all a good starting point however consider also:

Are you looking for a list of standard WMS functionality only? 

• Is this for a manual, semi-automated or automated warehouse?  Will future investment change the nature of these requirements significantly?
• Is a standard list enough information or too restrictive?  Do you know what you don’t know?
• Will a list explain the functionality in enough detail to be understood?
• Do certain functions or parameters conflict and cannot be used together?

Is specialist functionality required?

• Will general functionality be too restrictive for the industry sector required?  For example if sophistacted pharmaceutical batch control or managing fresh food is required?  Or if voice technology is required in areas other than picking e.g. despatch, perpetual inventory and so on?
• Can value added processes be supported?  Or can physical restrictions manage effective stock flow e.g. minimal racking for storage and product segregation,  internal walls splitting replenishment and picking zones, lack of dock space and doors in goods receipt or despatch areas?
• How willing are you to bespoke functionality if required?  How much functionality are you prepared to bespoke? 

What does the business want?

• What benefits is the business looking for?
• Are there expectations that the software needs to support the business today and in the future?  What will the future bring?
• What experience exists of warehouse software in the business?  Is a strong solution in place today?  Are there cultural gaps that need consideration?
• Do technical restrictions exist e.g. to use existing hardware such as servers or radio frequency guns, requirement to have standard interfaces to order and enterprise systems, continue with current management information feeds or report layouts, or the need to use Software as a Service?

We have decades worth of warehouse management system and IT solutions design, development and implementation experience.  We can help walk you through design steps in the early days from both a business/consulting perspective combined with detailed systems knowledge.  We are unique in the marketplace because we can demonstrate detailed knowledge in both areas.  If we can help you please contact us.

What is SaaS?

Software as a Service (SaaS) can be a confusing term as it has slightly different meanings between service providers.  As a general guide SaaS describes software applications that give organisations and individuals software access over the web rather than software installed locally on a PC, or in a client-server environment, or through remote connections.  SaaS therefore provides a service, with commercial terms reflecting this such as monthly charges and pay per use.

Where is the added value?

Commercial terms and faster return on investment are often cited as the reason to use SaaS.  For example organisations can be sold on the idea of:

• Less or zero capital expenditure
• Costs spread per month
• Free software upgrades
• Lower costs with no/low additional infrastructure or technical database administration required
• Faster implementation i.e. fewer IT personnel and resources required
• Link to remote hardware such as lone worker, GPS tracking, digital pen, phone and barcode scanning devices
• In some cases software that is device independent

In fact Juniper Innovations’ products cover all the bullets above e.g. with our warehouse management system, GPS tracking, lone and mobile worker products.  Yet there is more than meets the eye with SaaS.  More value can be added with:

• Software configurations that can be aligned to your value added organisational processes e.g. a warehouse system can be setup to give you the maximum value based on your building and resource constraints, shift patterns and storage location types
• How you use the often rich variety of data and management information accompanying SaaS products
• Being able to add additional products to your base application e.g. RFID for driver or inventory tracking
• Using the software even if temporary connection failures occur with the hardware
• Remotely diagnosting any hardware failures from the software e.g. GPS and lone worker devices
• Allowing resticted client login over the web
• Having your own branding in the form of a web template as a front end to the system
• Request specific functionality (for free) during subsequent upgrades
• Leaving the management and uptime of the hosted environment to the supplier who will have dedicated resources for this
• Strong IT hardware backup

Are there downsides to SaaS?

There are compelling arguments for SaaS’ usefulness in tracking environments e.g. for inventory, asset and personnel tracking.  There too however are questions to be asked to see if SaaS is truly useful for your organisation:

• Will a high number of users or software usage increase the costs to the point where it is more cost effective to use a SaaS alternative?
• Are high levels of software customisation required either now or are likely in the future and is the software vendor prepared to deliver these either at all or within your timescales?  Do any significant migration costs away from your existing systems and processes make SaaS a difficult model to work with?
• Is your organisation comfortable with company data, commercially sensitive or otherwise being stored and located off site?  Do SaaS vendor privacy levels and data security meet your requirements?
• Are your internet connections robust enough i.e. how will your connection speed or any temporary losses of connection affect your business processes with the SaaS solution?  Do you need greater or improved network support to use SaaS?
• Are different software configurations per site/plant required and can the software cope with this without affecting group wide reports and management information?  Or can you use offline or different reporting processes?
• How easy is the software to integrate with your existing systems?  Do standard interfaces exist that can be customised if required to fit with your infrastructure and business requirements?
• Can your preferred support service levels including redundancy, uptime and onsite support be managed by the SaaS supplier?
• How implementation support is charged and is this cost effective for you?
• Does a strong support team exist behind the SaaS application that can manage your support calls?

So should a SaaS solution for inventory, asset and personnel tracking be used?

As you can see it is a misconception to think that SaaS is selected for tracking solutions simply because no capital expenditure is required.  There are a host of questions and issues to consider.  If SaaS is considered simply as a money saving exercise without being thought through it can easily turn into a false economy.  Plus no substitution exists for strong vendor due diligence.  For organisations that require inventory, asset or personnel tracking help, that are prepared to be forward thinking, then SaaS has some excellent benefits.  Inparticular strong cases for return on investment and the ability to “grow into” a solution i.e. for an organisation to be SaaS supported today and then later turn on or use existing SaaS functionality and product flexibility in the future when required.

If you require any more information about Juniper Innovations’ SaaS and non-SaaS products please contact us>>>

Staples is a multinational retailer selling office supplies, technology, paper, ink and toners.  It has a presence in 16 European countries, China, Canada, USA, Brazil and Argentina.  Staples have been in Portugal since 1996, when they opened their first store specialising in stationery, furniture, office supplies and computers.

In Portugal Staples restructured their supply chain in order to increase the level of customer service, improve supply chain efficiencies, flexibility and responsiveness.  Part of this project included managing the logistics from online sales from their national distribution centre in Azambuja, near Lisbon.

Staples required a warehouse management system to manage their national store orders plus online consumer orders.  This included managing warehouse work orders in such a way to improve warehouse productivity and customer delivery for different types of work.  For example immediate consumer despatches versus scheduled store deliveries, low volume consumer picks versus high volume from a large store and consumer orientated pick and pack operation versus pallet picking for stores. 

ISRetail’s warehouse management system was chosen because it was designed to manage and control complex tasks and diversified product ranges.  It also controls and improves productivity from small complex warehouse tasks to group and supply chain wide coordination and control across multiple warehouse, shipping and delivery points.

For Staples implementing ISRetail’s warehouse management system was the key to increase the overall performance of the supply chain, including getting the best possible results from economies of scale, raising customer service levels and introducing rigor and control over the entire logistics network.

Juniper Innovations’ consultants co-wrote part of ISRetail’s warehouse management system, which is a best of breed solution Juniper Innovations sells and promotes.  This system is installed in Manuel Mata, Portugal.

Founded in 1987, Manuel Mata is a company that markets and supplies building materials.  They work from Madeira however operate nationally all over Portugal.

Manuel Mata focuses on high standards on both its brand and internal infrastructure including new technologies and its people.  They wanted a best of breed warehouse management system in line with their strategic technology focus, to use in their new central distribution centre. 

The system needed to cope with a complex mix of local island, national store and direct customer deliveries.  Their requirements were made more complex since they needed to manage 30,000 products arranged across 2 warehouse floors with a high  density of SKUs per m2.

Manuel Mata chose ISRetail’s warehouse management system since it was a proven platform, has a track record of managing complex environments, has proven delivery consultants and integrates with a wide variety of hardware.  Hardware integration was a key component of the Manuel Mata implementation to help manage and coordinate worker activities. 

Manuel Mata commented “It is with satisfaction that your warehouse management system is recognised as it was selected as an important element in pursuing Manuel Mata’s technology strategy.”