JMTC Teams With Intermec Wireless Mobile Computing To Virtually Wipe Out Inventory Errors

The U.S. Army depends on the JMTC to manufacture spare/repair parts and end items as well as to assemble the tool sets, kits and outfits that support soldiers’ equipment in the field.

Workers at the JMTC in turn depend on a new, automated tracking system to help them monitor work in process. The system is designed around wireless mobile computers and networking from Intermec Technologies Corp.

Among the potential vendors for the mobile computing aspect of the system, Intermec stood out for the can-do attitude of its representatives. It was a quality those at the arsenal knew well.

“Intermec got it the first time. They knew how to approach it and understood what was needed,” said Tom German, financial and logistics specialist with the Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center. “Intermec was the only one to come and say, ‘We can do that.’ And they did.”

Two missions go on simultaneously in Building 299. One is a distribution mission, which accounts for 80 percent of the building’s inventory. These are items stored long-term, sometimes for three or four years, and include things like spare and repair parts. The other mission is the production of tool sets in all their various forms. These range from seven-piece tool kits to room-sized mobile enclosures stocked with 3,000 tools.