DC Velocity - November 2013

Sentry Protection Products

216.228.3200 • 888.265.8660

info@sentrypro.com • www.sentrypro.com

COLLISION SENTRY

Always on Guard

The collision warning system that creates a safer work environment in industrial buildings where forklift traffic and pedestrian traffic intersect.

Easy to install.

Self-powered.

Compact.

Highly visible.

Reliable.

®

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As the yard mules go about their business, their antennas generate a signal to ping the passive tags and identify the spot where the trailer is parked. The trailer locations are then relayed to the cloud-based software, which maintains an up-to-the-minute record of the equipment in the yard.

The yard mule drivers use com-
puters in their vehicles to communi-
cate with the cloud-based YMS. The
computers allow them to record
trailer movements, information
that’s also relayed to the cloud soft-
ware via a 4G cellular connection. A
plant supervisor can view the trailer
locations on a map on a special website.
The supervisor also uses the website to
coordinate the movements of trailers
from the yard to the dock door, thus
maintaining the flow of parts required for
truck production. Instructions entered on
the website by the supervisor are relayed
back to the yard mule drivers.

In setting up the system, the biggest hurdle for DTNA was the lack of adequate telecommunications in the northeastern Mexico desert, according to Flores. In 2012, in the Saltillo plant area, there was only one Telcel tower for cellular communication. A 4G system from Nextel Communications, a unit of Sprint Nextel Corp., was used to provide sufficient mobile broadband Internet access to laptops and other mobile devices. “Had we had the telecom in place, this project would have been done in three months,” Flores says.

BETTER VISIBILITY, HIGHER THROUGHPUT As for the results of the project, the solution appears to be paying off in increased throughput and efficiency at the Saltillo plant. Flores says DTNA now has 99 percent visibility into the whereabouts of trailers at the facility. That has allowed DTNA to unload four to six trailers an hour. Before, it was two to three.

Because the system has a fix on trailer locations, DTNA no longer needs workers to walk around the yard conducting equipment audits. Status updates allow DTNA to promptly notify the motor carrier when a trailer has been unloaded and can be retrieved. This reduces demurrage and detention charges imposed by truckers for delays in returning their equipment.

DTNA is now planning to roll out the yard management application at its other North American plants. In addition, Flores says he plans to use YMS data to develop metrics to drive further operational improvements.

With DTNA well past the YMS learning curve, what advice would Flores give to a logistics manager considering such a system? Know your requirements before choosing a solution, and visit existing customers of vendors under consideration.