Download Asset Management at USPTO – The RFID Future

Asset Management
at the USPTO
The RFID Future
Tom King, Project Manager
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
Office of Administrative Services
Alexandria, VA
Agenda
1. Background
2. Goals
3. Return on Investment
4. Equipment
a) Readers
b) Bar-codes
c) Placement
5. Future Enhancements
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Background
• Labor intensive manual process
• Vulnerable to error due to heavy reliance on human
interaction.
• Over 800 Property Custodians (PC) and 100
Property Accountability Officers (PAO)
• Asset Information:
1. 112,100 assets tracked
2. $172,560,400 total value
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Background
• June 2012, a budget initiative was approved and
included in the FY 2014 President’s Budget
• September 2014, a contract was awarded to:
1. Perform site surveys
2. Procure software
3. Purchase/install the hardware
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Goals
1. Reduce number of PAOs and PCs
2. Reduce inventory cycle time
3. Increase accuracy
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Return on Investment
• Approximate Cost: $3m
• Annual Savings: $1.1m
• ROI: 2.75 years
Category
Annual Cost
Annual Savings
Notes
PC Labor
$
501,311.20
$
451,180.08
Expect 90% reduction
Asset Mgmt Labor ~ Errors
$
365,367.83
$
274,025.87
Expect 75% reduction
Loss Prevention
$
377,629.39
$
366,300.51
Expect 97% reduction
Total
$ 1,244,308.42
$ 1,091,506.46
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Equipment
RFID Readers
1. Fixed
• Most are ‘hidden’ above the ceiling tile
• Lobby readers are ‘flush mounted’ to the ceiling
• Each building, including remote sites
2. Mobile
• Limited number
• Facilitate monthly reconciliation
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Equipment
RFID Barcodes
1. Affixed to most trackable assets
2. Passive technology
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Equipment Placement
Performed extensive site survey work to determine
optimal location for each reader.
Items considered included:
• Critical locations (loading docks, emergency exits)
• Maximum coverage
• Minimal equipment investment
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Typical 1st Floor
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Typical Floor
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Future Enhancements
1. Real-time updates
2. On-demand reporting
3. At home asset tracking
13
Questions and Answers
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