Wirepas: Asset tracking in large sites – not a problem

Our friends at Wirepas have published an article on their website about our successful deployment with the Bundeswehr in Jülich.

We’ve been running FORMATION in Jülich since 2022. Last year we added bluetooth trackers to the setup with our partner Bornemann. With their trackers and our QR codes, workers can easily access information about parts in the workplace. The bluetooth trackers report their location to FORMATION and this updates the location of parts as they are moving through the factory.

As the article highlights, the site in Jülich presented some major challenges for setting this up. It’s a very large site and bluetooth only has a range of about 10-20 meters. Additionally, the use of heavy machinery and metal features of the building add more challenges. To overcome these, Bornemann’s anchors uses mesh networking provided by Wirepas. The anchors provide coverage for all the important areas on the site. Because the anchors are wireless, installing them was straightforward.

However, the site is so huge that this still leaves some areas that aren’t covered and for this the army continues to use FORMATION’s QR code tracking. QR code tags allow users to update the location of an asset by simply scanning the object’s QR code with their phone. This hybrid tracking also allows them to track assets that don’t have a beacon attached to them.

As the article notes, the combined setup has massively improved the process in Jülich:

… This has increased productivity in the workshop. Downtimes within processes are digitally visible thanks to the position data. And not only the mechanics involved but also the management benefits from tracking the modules. Because the solution increases transparency in processing times, the potential for improvement can be identified.

As we shared last year, the Cyber Innovation Hub is also very positive about this project:

Want to learn more about how FORMATION can help you tack any asset? Reach out and we’ll set up a call!