A subsidiary of British telecommunications giant BT recently completed a large test project using radio frequency identification (RFID) chips for construction equipment asset tracking. The successful results are one more confirmation that extending the emerging “Internet of things” to construction sites has positive benefits and a quick return on investment.
The test project took place on a London construction site over a period of two months. Vehicles, tools and equipment were tracked constantly. BT says the trial is the first of its type in the sector and was prompted by the need for monitoring the location and condition of construction assets in transit around sites.
The project was undertaken with one of the UK's largest international construction companies. BT believes the test proves the benefits of an entirely wireless asset tracking system “to an industry where expensive assets are constantly mobile and exposed to intense conditions,” as stated in an announcement about the test.
Ross Hall, CEO of BT Auto-ID Services, comments: “The findings of this trial are highly significant and could lead to a complete transformation in the way the entire construction industry tracks its assets in the future. In the past it has proven difficult to track assets around large construction sites. The ever changing environment is hindered further by limited or no access to power or wired communications. By combining advanced wireless technologies with long battery life, we are able to increase asset visibility and reduce installation, integration, and reconfiguration times, leading to faster deployment and redeployment, resulting in reduced operational costs for our customer.”
BT was supported by UK asset-tracking specialist OxLoc in the project. The data collection devices used on-site used global positioning system (GPS) technology for location, GSM cellular for data communication and ultra long-range active RFID chips for asset identification and monitoring. The monitoring system had a self-contained battery source and could be put into place within 15 minutes.
--RSN