State of Alaska Department of Commerce Partners with Franwell, Inc. for Pilot Study, Testing RFID and GPS Tracking Technology with Food Aid Shipment

The State of Alaska Department of Commerce – Community and Economic Development, has partnered with Franwell, Inc. to implement a pilot study, testing RFID and GPS tracking technology to increase Food Aid shipment accountability, delivery confirmation, security, quality and safety.

Plant City, Fla. (PRWEB) March 10, 2006 -- The State of Alaska Department of Commerce – Community and Economic Development, has partnered with Franwell, Inc. to implement a pilot study, testing RFID and GPS tracking technology to increase Food Aid shipment accountability, delivery confirmation, security, quality and safety.

The State of Alaska’s Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, along with local Alaska fishermen organized under the Cordova District Fishermen United, underwrote the test project.

Joining Franwell, Inc. in this project are the University of Florida, Research Center for Food Distribution and Retailing, as well as ISR Systems, as detailed below.

Bruce Schactler (Project Manager, State of Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development) and his colleague Kevin Adams (State of Alaska, Logistics Coordinator) selected Franwell, Inc. to provide project management, project implementation and industry expertise in determining initial objectives for the technical portion of a project involving a Food Aid shipment of canned Wild Alaskan Salmon being sent to the Children of Guatemala, in Guatemala City.

During a project kick-off meeting in the offices of William C. Noll, Commissioner of the State of Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, three basic questions were defined:
1.How can we implement technology to insure Food Aid shipments arrive intact at destination?
2.What technology is available to authenticate confirmation that the contents of the Food Aid shipments were complete (at origin and destination)?
3.Can we increase food safety and quality by using RFID temperature sensors and data loggers?

The underlying requirement is to enable the use of state-of-the-art technologies at locations where typical technical/RFID infrastructure is not available.

For the first challenge, Franwell, Inc. brought in Universal Guardian’s Systems Group, ISR Systems. ISR Systems provided an ocean container GPS tracking device, a door open sensor, communications infrastructure, a web site for map and satellite tracking of the container, alerts for door open status and a full set of support resources to make this happen, all with a very short time in which to work. “We couldn’t have found a better GPS tracking system that integrates to RFID structure, and I doubt if there is another company that could have implemented the solution in the time frame with which we had to work. It was great to work with Chris Terry and his team!”, said Mike Nicometo, Director of Special Projects, Franwell, Inc..

For the second challenge, Franwell, Inc. developed software that could be used with a handheld computer and portable RFID reader-antenna equipment. Franwell tested the system with RFID UHF tags in their laboratory to determine that the canned Alaska Wild Salmon was RFID UHF friendly. Then Franwell went to the Kent Warehousing & Labeling (KWL) facility in Kent, Washington to put labels on individual cases and pallets, capturing the data with the portable system during loading of the container.

For the third challenge, Franwell, Inc. provided portable equipment and software to program KSW temperature monitoring and data logging RFID tags. One tag was placed on each of 20 pallets, at the KWL facility just prior to container loading.

To validate the study, and to provide professional analysis and proper publishing of results, Franwell asked the University of Florida’s Research Center for Food Distribution and Retailing (CFDR) to participate on this project. Dr. Jean Pierre Emond and Dr. Jeffrey Brecht, CFDR Co-Directors, will provide project overview and analysis. A graduate student will travel with a Franwell technician to Guatemala City for the unloading of the container.

During unloading, the graduate student will test the localized portable computer systems, reading the RFID UHF tags, and the RFID temperature sensor tags. Field notes on all aspects of the operation will be recorded. All data and field reports will be analyzed by CFDR. Drs. Emond and Brecht, working with their staff, will supervise a formal report on the results, as well as possible concepts for future projects or implementation of digital technology to increase the authenticity of security, delivery, safety and quality for Food Aid shipments.

> Results of the project are planned to be presented in April at the annual USDA Food Aid Conference in Kansas City.
> Other interested Federal Government and logistic industry parties will be provided limited access to project data and results on a request and approval basis

“This project is a milestone in the use of technology with regard to aid shipments,” stated Bruce Schactler.

Kevin Adams says, “We can’t thank Mike Nicometo and Jeff Wells at Franwell enough for making what seemed impossible happen…sort of like commercial fishing. Bruce and I appreciate the can-do spirit of you and the whole team. We look forward to extending efforts in finding ways to use technology to benefit the Alaska seafood industry and everyone involved, working with the team we have on this project, as well as local companies and the University of Alaska.”

“We are excited about participating in the Alaska Food Aid project, as it represents the best of American people as they generously give billions of dollars of support to the needy around the globe,” stated Chris Terry, Universal’s ISR Systems Vice President.

Mike Nicometo adds, “I look forward to the results – the answers and the new questions – that this project will provide. It is rewarding to be able to take the lead in a project of this nature, with potential benefit to all involved.”

“We at CFDR were pleased to be asked to help out in the Alaska Food Aid pilot project,” said Dr. Jeff Brecht. “Dr. Jean Pierre Emond added, “The tracking, environmental monitoring and security systems being used in this project are at the forefront of perishables distribution technology. The application of this technology to international food aid can bring untold benefits to future aid recipients in natural disaster and other scenarios.”

Franwell, Inc. is a Florida based technology company with more than 20 years experience providing unique software solutions and services to meet diverse business requirements. Over 12 years has been dedicated to emerging RFID technologies for real-world business processes. Franwell’s expertise in research, development, consulting, and support of RFID projects is represented across a wide spectrum of commercial enterprises, with special emphasis on the food, pharmaceutical, and cold chain industries. www.franwell.com

Universal Guardian’s Systems Group, ISR Systems Corporation is a global provider of integrated and interoperable asset tracking and systems for global supply chain applications, inter-modal transportation, and seaport security. www.ISRsystems.com

The University of Florida Research Center for Food Distribution and Retailing is the first Research Center of its kind worldwide to focus on perishables distribution and retailing. Located at the University of Florida in Gainesville, the CFDR includes more than 25 faculty researchers plus associated students and staff involved in research and development covering the entire perishables distribution system from product source to retail shelves. http://cfdr.ifas.ufl.edu/

Contact information:
State of Alaska, Bruce Schactler, Project Manager
State of Alaska, Kevin Adams, Logistics Director
Franwell, Inc., Steve Dean, Director of Business Development
ISR Systems, Chris Terry, Senior Vice President
University of Florida CFDR

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