Emergency response asset mgmt system for British Red Cross

BRITISH RED CROSS AND AIDC SOLUTIONS DEVELOP NEW EMERGENCY RESPONSE ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• Radio frequency RFID tagging technology to enable tracking and management of over 5,000 assets in multiple humanitarian aid programmes, worldwide

• To be piloted in Red Cross international emergency response unit warehouse operation

Greensboro, NC – November 15, 2013 — British Red Cross and its technology partners AIDC Solutions and TouchPath have developed a new system designed to streamline and improve the management of over 5,000 Red Cross assets in the field, including laptop computers, satellite phones, GPS locators, surveying equipment and vehicles used in multiple humanitarian aid projects worldwide, the two organisations announced today.

Each asset will be fitted with an updateable RFID (radio frequency identification) tag which will hold details of user, programme, location and several other pieces of information. Tags can be scanned in the field using a handheld device to record changes that are then updated on the tag before being uploaded via the internet to a British Red Cross server in the UK.

The system is being piloted at the Red Cross international warehouse in Bristol, where the organisation stores the equipment for its logistics and mass sanitation Emergency Response Units, or ERU. Assets to be tracked in this case include fork lift trucks, drilling and other construction equipment, hygiene promotion items, vehicles and generators. Red Cross and Red Crescent ERUs – standby teams and equipment – are on call 24/7, ready to deploy anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice. The logistics ERU plays a vital role in getting relief to people who need it, by setting up systems and warehouses for the relief supplies coming into a disaster zone and ensuring that those items are accounted for and sent out in an organised way.

“As an organisation supported and funded by our donors our accountability and visibility are vital, and we take the responsibility of tracking our assets very seriously” says British Red Cross logistics support officer David Northfield. “The new asset management system will help us do that, as well as streamlining our processes and response”.

The Red Cross is a volunteer-led humanitarian organisation – the largest of its kind – that helps people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement started in 1863, inspired by a Swiss businessman, Henry Dunant.

“This is the first system of its kind to be developed for the humanitarian response environment, and we are pleased to see our supply chain asset tracking knowledge being used in this way” says AIDC Solutions operations director David Myers.

For more information, please contact Debbie Shropshire at [email protected].

About TouchPath Software

TouchPath Software delivers innovative solutions that allow warehouse, field service, and sales operations to capture critical information, improve visibility of assets, processes and orders, and interact with their company’s ERP system in real-time, wherever they are. Using the latest smartphone, RFID, PLC, biometric, barcode and cloud technologies, TouchPath’ platform is transforming hundreds of customer operations in over 20 countries across the globe. By radically simplifying processes and putting the latest information in the hands of front-line personnel at all times, its customers make better decisions, reduce inventory levels, lower operating costs and generate higher returns.

About AIDC

AIDC Solutions is headquartered in Halifax, West Yorkshire and operates internationally, with 60 client sites in 15 countries. The company was founded in 2000 and underwent a management buyout in 2004. A supply chain technology innovator, AIDC has developed solutions that include WMS COTS (custom-off-the-shelf warehouse management), ‘20/20’ warehouse real-time location tracking and mobile applications for logistics and supply. The company uses the TouchPath development platform to build powerful system building blocks that are fast and flexible to deploy, enabling tailored solutions to be delivered at lower cost. AIDC clients include Formica PLC, British Red Cross, Moss Plastic Parts, Skiffy BV, Richco, Reid Supply Company, Duraco Inc, Thetford BV, Autoneum and Ulinco AB.