Assetrac
An application using the handheld reader and electronic tags to record maintenance and keep track of equipment.
Assetrac provides a means of keeping an equipment register up to date without the onerous task
of repeatedly entering data into a computer. The equipment may be fixed or mobile. Assetrac
assists in recording the specifics of the equipment, monitoring maintenance and monitoring
movements and usage.
Electronic tags are securely placed on the equipment either in a fixed location or on the equipment
itself. The contact memory tag is an electronic chip in a ruggedised case that has been manufactured
with a unique identification number. When the tag is touched by the Datatrac reader head a circuit is
completed that allows the reader to read the identification number and any data saved on the tag.
The software in the PDA recognises the tag identification and through the Datatrac software program
always records the time and date of contact for proof of presence and/or prompts the operator to take
one or more specific actions.
At the commencement of his tasks the operator would have entered his personal identification
(PIN) to activate the PDA.
At the end of a sequence of tasks the PDA is then docked in a cradle or connected by lead to a computer
and the data collected from the tags is downloaded automatically into the Datatrac management database.
It can then be imported into the vessel’s own planned maintenance system or equipment register.
After completion of the round the operator is not required to take any further actions, and does not
need to update any maintenance record by typing into the computer. The tag and reader automatically
record the time of contact which avoids the necessity of entering time data and acts as an accurate
proof that a task was performed, when it was performed and by whom.
Assetrac has been on trial with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) to track the location and
maintenance records of hydraulic hoses. This trial has now been successfully concluded with the
RFA wishing to implement the system within their fleet. The advantage to the RFA was the provision of
an efficient way to maintain accurate vessel hose registers without committing crew members to time
consuming administration and data entry.