Radio tags track stillages

A scheme to electronically tag stillages, the metal cages used to transport components, could save manufacturers millions of pounds in lost equipment and lost production by preventing them going missing.

Researchers at the University of Warwick's Warwick Manufacturing Group are working with Ford's Premier Automotive Group to use Radio Frequency Identity Tags (RFID) tags to track stillages. The savings that can be gained by this technology are enormous - each missing stillage costs hundreds of pounds but more costly is the loss in production triggered by the hold ups caused by not having a stillage full of key components in the right place at the right time.

The component suppliers are also subject to unnecessary and unwarranted costs as they are forced to change production runs to accommodate the lack of stillages in a loop. When the situation reaches a critical point, substantial costs are incurred sourcing alternative packaging and emergency transport to ensure the car line is not held waiting for the parts to arrive.