Tapestry Solutions

Tapestry Solutions provides enterprise logistics software and services for global supply chains, mission planning, combat training and simulation systems.

Menu
  • About Us
      • Our Commitment & Culture
      • Major Programs
      • Industries We Serve
      • Community Outreach
      • Contact Us
        • U.S. Headquarters
          • 6910 Carroll Road
            San Diego, CA 92121-2211
            United States
            Tel: +1.858.503.1990
            Fax: +1.858.503.1999
            marketing@tapestrysolutions.com
          • Close
        • Europe Branch
          • Building 330
            The Crescent Bristol Business Park
            Bristol BS16 1EJ
            United Kingdom
            Tel: +44 117.931.9800
          • Close
    • Close
  • Solutions
    • air-ops-centerfinal-19002Logistics Operations
    • Vigilant Shield 16Mission Planning
    • Ground Forces Training Invitation Event at Fort Leonard WoodMission Command Training
    • MUF15_RMS280694Technical & Field Support
    • Close
  • Products
    • goldesp_mro-570GOLDesp MRO & Supply
    • Elmendorf Airmen deliver relief supplies to HaitiBoeing Load Planner
    • Container Truck ,ship In Port And Freight Cargo Plane In TranspoBoeing Terminal Manager
    • Pilots in the cockpitMission Management Suite
    • 787 Assembly in Everett, WashingtonEnterprise Sensor Integration (ESI)
    • Close
  • Media Center
    • News & Insights
    • Video Gallery
    • Close
  • Careers
    • Job Search
    • Benefits
    • Close
  • Training & Support
    • Contact Customer Support
    • Technical & Field Support
    • Close

Achieve Total Asset Visibility with Sensor Integration & RFID

May 15, 2019

One of the most complex and vital tasks facing the Department of Defense (DoD) is managing its supply chain to effectively and efficiently provide spare parts, equipment, food and other critical supplies in support of U.S. military forces.  The DoD’s goal and challenge is to deliver the right items to the right place at the right time – and the right cost – yet it still struggles with achieving Total Asset Visibility (TAV) .

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Wyatt L. Anthony

By its very nature, the military supply chain is extremely complex and risky. It  involves an unstable and unpredictable demand, moving end supply points, and ensuring equipment readiness for war. The DoD is also challenged with fragmentation across its extensive network infrastructures, along with disparate sensor technologies that track the whereabouts and status of its assets.

The U.S. military has made steady progress achieving its TAV goals with advances in automatic information technology, including implementing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) for asset tracking. However, it continues to face interoperability challenges due to “stovepiped” networks and IT systems that were developed independently with differing requirements and data formats. The challenge is providing a unified infrastructure that can effectively capture massive amounts of data – and turning that “Big Data” into actionable insights.

This is what the Internet of Things (IoT) is all about. The IoT is changing lives in the commercial sector, connecting everything from smartphones, smart appliances, smart home thermostats, wearables and much more. The application of the IoT in the manufacturing industry – dubbed the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) or Industry 4.0 – leverages intelligent, connected devices to greatly improve operational efficiency, productivity, and profitability across manufacturing plants and supply chains.

With the rapidly evolving IoT market, the DoD is looking to capitalize on civilian successes and lessons-learned to help manage the sheer volume of data produced for both tactical and logistics operations.  DoD representatives actively engage with industry leaders and participate in conferences such as RFID Journal Live  to keep abreast of the latest advances in RFID and related IoT solutions, including Tapestry’s Enterprise Sensor Integration (ESI) technology.

Leveraging ESI’s Commercial Successes

ESI has been deployed across Boeing, including the massive Everett plant, pictured here.

With its proven success in the commercial industry, ESI holds great potential for asset/tool tracking, sustainment and supply chain management for the defense sector. In the commercial aerospace & defense market, ESI has significantly enhanced asset visibility, increased production rates and reduced costs for Boeing and BAE Systems.

At Boeing, ESI has interconnected nearly every aspect of the organization’s asset management and supply chain across 27 major manufacturing sites comprising over 300 buildings. This unity of information, powered by sensor integration, has saved Boeing more than $100 million in the first year alone. The technology, proven to handle up to 6-10 billion RFID tag reads each week, continues to save Boeing millions each year. Today, ESI saves the company an estimated $80 million in recurring annual savings through reduced labor costs, increased workflow efficiency, asset loss prevention, and improved decision-making based on the Big Data analytics.

BAE Systems also rolled out an award-winning ESI-enabled RFID solution last year at several manufacturing sites, including its Electronic Warfare Integrated Manufacturing Center (EW-IMC) in Nashua, NH. Because of its successful implementation, BAE Systems recently captured an award for “Best Manufacturing RFID Implementation” at the 17th annual RFID Journal LIVE conference.

BAE Systems’ primary task was to replace existing manual processes with RFID to effectively track and manage inventory, assets/tools and work-in-process (WIP). The RFID technology, driven by ESI, has automated the tracking of more than 200,000 assets, 30,000 parts and about 6,500 work orders at its plants. BAE Systems reported that it saved 2,400 hours tracking WIP, and an additional 1,248 hours in searching for missing items.

ABOUT ESI

As an IoT middleware solution, ESI integrates disparate sensor technologies to connect people data and processes across factories and supply chains. ESI solves connectivity challenges caused by the proliferation of proprietary IoT devices and tracking solutions that cannot share data with other sensors or networks.

Download ESI White Paper

ESI features a unique “sensor-agnostic” platform that ensures interoperability with various hardware and software vendors’ IoT solutions, regardless of brand or data formats.  ESI connects sensors ranging from RFID position-information tags, passive and active GPS-enabled WiFi tags to embedded hardware and complex ERP systems, both legacy and next generation technologies. ESI also includes real-time alerts and integration with sensors that monitor temperature sensors, pressure and humidity.

The software platform can be implemented across a global enterprise, either in the cloud or on dedicated servers. With ESI, decision makers have total asset visibility of equipment, tools, cargo and processes – anywhere at any time for 360° supply chain clarity.

As a successfully deployed IoT platform, ESI can  help military forces increase efficiencies, reduce costs and enhance situational awareness across its supply chain networks. For more details, download White Paper  or watch video below.

About Tapestry Solutions

Tapestry Solutions, Inc. is a global provider of information management software and services for defense, government and commercial markets. We provide mission planning, training and simulation support to maximize readiness for our warfighters. We also help solve logistics challenges for the world’s largest and most complex supply chains. Supporting customers from more than 50 locations worldwide, Tapestry Solutions is part of Boeing Global Services.

Operating as one of Boeing’s three business units, Global Services is headquartered in the Dallas area. For more information, visit www.boeing.com/services.

Contact:

Janet Dayton
Boeing Global Services
janet.l.dayton@boeing.com

 

The appearance of U.S. DoD visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

 

Filed Under: Blog Posts Tagged With: BAE Systems, DoD supply chains, Enterprise Sensor Integration, ESI, IoT, RFID, TAV, Total Asset Visibility

BAE Systems Wins Award for RFID Rollout w/Enterprise Sensor Integration

April 30, 2019

BAE Systems has been recognized for its smart factory transformation using radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology to track and manage assets/tools, inventory and workflow processes. The company captured an award for the Best Manufacturing RFID Implementation at the 17th annual RFID Journal LIVE conference after demonstrating significant savings using RFID-enabled technology developed by Tapestry Solutions, a division of Boeing Global Services.

BAE Systems’ team members, pictured during production.

BAE Systems leveraged Tapestry’s Enterprise Sensor Integration (ESI) technology to connect RFID-tagged materials with its enterprise resource planning systems – setting the stage for an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) ecosystem. Within the first year of deployment, BAE Systems reported that it saved 2,400 hours tracking work-in-progress, or WIP, and saved 1,248 hours in searching for missing items. The solution has also significantly accelerated manufacturing processes while improving quality.

“The BAE Systems’ program was an excellent example of how RFID and the right software can drive real value for companies. It was truly an award-winning project that demonstrated how RFID can translate into quantifiable results for a major enterprise,” said Mark Roberti, founder and editor of RFID Journal.

The conference is the world’s largest RFID venue, with several domestic and international companies vying for the Best Manufacturing RFID Implementation award. The winners were selected from six different end-user categories.

A highlight at the conference was the keynote address delivered by Deirdre (Dee) Schmidt, BAE Systems’ Operational Excellence Leader, who spearheaded the RFID initiative at the Electronic Warfare Integrated Manufacturing Center (EW-IMC) facility and several other plants. She described the program’s three-pronged objective of automating inventory replenishment, managing the status and location of asset and tools, and improving visibility of WIP.

RFID barcode scanners track the location and condition of tagged assets at BAE Systems.

Prior to the RFID-enabled system, BAE Systems had a largely manual process for tracking and managing supply inventory, assets and tools, as well as workflow on the assembly floor. The firm used a time-intensive barcode scanning process to track and replenish inventory at multiple sites. Procurement teams also released orders manually, which often resulted in longer than desired lead times.

To address these challenges, Tapestry provided the ESI/RFID solution in 2017, leveraging the same sensor fusion technology that it implemented across 27 major Boeing manufacturing sites incorporating over 300 buildings. The ESI solution saved Boeing $100 million in its first year alone, and today processes 6 to 10 billion tags each week.

At BAE Systems, the RFID/ESI solution is currently tracking over 200,000 assets, 30,000 parts and an estimated 6,500 work orders at its facilities. The automation of material replenishment has enabled BAE Systems to transform from a “push” scheduling process to a “pull,” where there is a just-in-time inventory flow through its supply chain. The tool and asset tracking solution enables users to identify items as they enter and return from specific zones with associated alerts. It also monitors recalibration due dates on specific equipment.

ABOUT ESI

ESI is a middleware software solution that connects people, processes and data to improve visibility in the factory – and across an entire enterprise. ESI solves interoperability challenges due to the growing number of disparate tracking technologies that speak different languages.

ESI integrates a myriad of sensor technologies that track, monitor and control assets and workflow processes – providing the gateway to the Internet of Things and smart factory transformation.   As a “sensor-agnostic” solution, ESI can be integrated with an organization’s legacy RFID and sensor systems, regardless of hardware or sensor types or brands.

Contact:

Janet Dayton
Boeing Global Services
janet.l.dayton@boeing.com

Filed Under: Blog Posts Tagged With: BAE Systems, ESI, IoT, manufacturing, RFID, sensors

U.S. HEADQUARTERS

6910 Carroll Road
San Diego, CA 92121-2211
United States
Tel: +1.858.503.1990
tapestrymarketing@boeing.com

Links

Menu
    • About Us
    • Solutions
    • Products
    • Media Center
    • Careers
    • Training & Support

PRIVACY NOTICE

The Privacy and Cookie Statement for The Boeing Company and its family of brands has changed, effective May 22, 2019, to allow for a more unified customer experience. You can review the updated Statement here.

Copyright ©2023 Tapestry Solutions Privacy PolicyTerms & Conditions

Thank you for your interest.
Please fill out the information below to access this white paper.

Thank you for your interest.
Please fill out the information below to access this case study.