WhereNet?s Wireless Parts Replenishment System Provides Ford with Flexibility



WhereNet?s Wireless Parts Replenishment System Provides Ford with Manufacturing Flexibility; Helps Transform Historic River Rouge Complex into Ford?s Showcase Facility


SANTA CLARA, Calif.?-/July 1, 2004 - Wi-Fi Technology News/-WhereNet Corp., the leader of wireless solutions for tracking and managing enterprise assets, announced that Ford Motor Company has deployed the standards-based WhereNet? real-time locating system (RTLS) technology at its new Dearborn Truck Plant at Rouge Center in Dearborn, Michigan.

The WhereNet WhereCall? wireless parts replenishment system will help Ford execute new flexible manufacturing processes allowing the automaker to rapidly adjust to shifting market demands for its top-selling F-150 pickup trucks. Manufacturers in Europe, North and South America, and in the Asia Pacific regions are currently using WhereNet?s automotive applications to reduce inventory and increase productivity.

?Ford?s River Rouge facility embodies the 21st century model for lean, flexible manufacturing. By leveraging wireless real-time locating system solutions, Ford is now able to run even leaner and adapt quicker to changing market demands,? said Bruce Hudson, program director of enterprise applications, Meta Group. ?Amidst record new model introductions and increasingly complex outsourced supply chains, automakers must embrace wireless systems to connect people, processes and parts and automate previously time-intensive, error-prone, manual tasks. Such flexible manufacturing capabilities are projected to save the auto industry billions of dollars over the next decade.?

Wireless Parts Replenishment Elevates Assembly Line Flexibility and Efficiency

A recipient of the Henry Ford Technology Award for technological advancement, the WhereCall parts replenishment system leverages WhereNet?s standards-based wireless real-time locating system technology. Installed at more than 70 automotive plants around the world, automotive OEM?s utilize the WhereCall system for just-in-time parts replenishment. Collectively, WhereCall processes about 4,000 requests every hour (24X7) for all of its automotive customers (or about 35 million parts ?calls? per year).

WhereNet?s wireless WhereCall devices provide an alternative to paper-based Kanban (parts replenishment) systems or hardwired electronic call systems and offer the dual advantages of low installation costs (WhereCall costs half to three-fourths of what a similar system using wired components would cost) and unprecedented flexibility in industrial manufacturing environments. The system can be installed in a quarter of the time it took to install previous parts replenishment systems, and line re-balancing operations can be done in much less time with virtually no additional capital expenditures for hardware and equipment.

?Having served Ford as a customer for more than four years and with installations in more than 60 Ford plants around the world, we are excited to expand our presence at River Rouge and to play a technology role in the manufacturing of Ford?s F-series ? the industry?s top-selling vehicle for more than 20 years,? said Tom Bacon, vice president of the automotive division for WhereNet. ?The River Rouge facility is a showcase for Ford Motor Company. With projected annual capacity of about 250,000 F-150 pickups, Ford needed a wireless system that could deliver efficiency and flexibility gains to optimize its production processes along the assembly line and to expedite shipping into the delivery chain. WhereNet delivers multiple applications in a single, integrated wireless system.?

About WhereNet Corp.
WhereNet is the first company to deliver a single wireless location and communication infrastructure that reliably and cost-effectively manages valuable mobile resources and delivers a complete return on investment within 12 months. Based on patented, standards-compliant technology resulting from a collective 100+ years of development, the WhereNet real-time solutions enable companies such as BMW, Ford Motor Company, and NYK Logistics to reduce inventory, lower operating costs, and improve operations. The company has received the Henry Ford Technology Award; was recognized for strong ROI by Computerworld; was ranked among the top 10 in the InfoWorld 100; and has been recognized as a wireless innovator by Forrester Research, Computerworld ROI, Frontline Solutions, Plant Engineering, and Supply Chain Systems magazines. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, with offices throughout the United States and Europe, WhereNet is funded by Crosspoint Venture Partners, Foundation Capital, Bay Partners, Crescendo Ventures, and Sun Microsystems. For more information, visit the WhereNet Web site at http://www.wherenet.com, or call 408-845-8500 (in the U.S.) or +32 3 286 84 50 (in Europe).