Zetes has implemented a real time track and trace system for BMW at the company’s open air warehouse in Thorne, Doncaster.
The wireless traceability system forms part of BMW’s vehicle retrieval system and enables it to identify and locate incoming and outgoing vehicles.
Thousands of vehicles are managed using the system, which includes Zebra P4T mobile printers and Motorola MC9000 hand-held devices running on a Cisco network which is fully supported by Zetes.
The technology integrates with BMW’s vehicle tracking system which was developed in-house.
Cars or motorbikes coming into the facility for inspection are automatically labelled with an indelible barcode label using the Zebra printers.
Each barcode label contains both unique vehicle identification information and location co-ordinates and is produced in real time over the wireless network.
This data is automatically captured via the Motorola hand-held devices and the precise whereabouts of each vehicle is stored in a central database for future recall.
Data is exchanged between hand-held devices and BMW’s central vehicle tracking system in real time, over a wireless network which is fully supported by Zetes.
Andrew Southgate, sales director at Zetes, said: “The Thorne site is BMW’s main UK inspection plant and, at roughly 3km long, is equivalent to around 12 football pitches laid end-to-end.
“Having the ability to label and locate vehicles quickly is vital for operational efficiency within a warehouse of this scale and we are very pleased to have been appointed as an integration partner by BMW”
