For example, nearly 300 million light vehicle tires pour out of tire manufacturing plants each year in the U.S. About one fifth of them go on brand new passenger cars and light trucks, while the remainder are replacement tires mounted and balanced at auto dealerships and tire retailers nationwide.

Tracking those tires has peaked the interest of the major automotive and tire manufacturers alike. They would like to track each tire from the point of manufacture to mounting them on a new vehicle at the factory - and beyond. Such tracking offers several benefits, including the ability to tie a specific tire with a specific vehicle identification number and to support warranty issues.

Intermec is emerging as a major player in this growing market, since its Intellitag® RFID (radio frequency identification) technology supports the world’s first application standard addressing item-level identification using RFID to track tires. That technology standard, under development by the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG), will greatly speed and simplify verification of tire warranty, authenticity and performance.

Intermec has been involved with the data collection side of AIAG for several years. In fact, Bill Hoffman, manager of automotive business development for Intermec in Detroit, currently chairs the AIAG radio frequency tire and wheel identification work group, which has been working on the new RFID item tracking standard for tires. Hoffman succeeds Intermec’s Eric Freeburg, who previously worked on the committee and was recently honored as winner of AIAG’s 2001 Outstanding Achievement Award for his contributions and leadership on behalf of AIAG and the automotive industry. This is the second consecutive year Freeburg has received the award.

The company is also playing a leading role in parts marking for the giant automotive industry. Direct parts marking programs embraced by the automotive leaders are designed to give every one of the thousands of parts on an automobile a unique etched, stamped or direct printed bar code so it can be tracked throughout its lifetime.

But tires are perhaps one of the most visible manifestations of the vehicle manufacturing industry – the one where the ability to identify and recall a limited number of specific types has drawn attention in recent years.

Placed on the inside of the vehicle’s tires by the tire manufacturers, the UHF-based, 128 byte, read/write RFID tag provides the ability to associate that tire with a specific vehicle. Along with the unique tag ID, a 12-character coding structure called the DOT (Department of Transportation) number will be written to each RFID tag by the tire manufacturer. The DOT code identifies the manufacturing plant, tire size, the unique components of the tire, and the week and year the tire was manufactured. Congress’s recently passed Transportation Recall Enactment, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act supports this effort and updates tire safety standards.

Automotive industry applications for Intermec RFID technology include tracking tires, engines, transmissions and other major vehicle components during manufacturing to ensure the correct parts are joined to produce the desired result.

Data Matrix Marks the Part Intermec also is involved in another hot area of automated data collection related to mass produced vehicles – direct parts marking to enhance traceability.

Automotive manufacturers are pursuing direct parts marking to track parts from manufacture through the life of the vehicle. In direct parts marking, a bar code is applied directly to the individual part.

Permanent bar code part marking for every type of surface imaginable is achieved through laser etching, chemical etching, dot-peen (a form of recessed mark), ink jet direct printing and ceramic bar code labels. The bar code of choice is the 2-Dimensional Data Matrix, which is directly applied to each part.

Parts marking establishes comprehensive specifications for the exchange of both business and technical information between customers, manufacturers and suppliers by electronic message or magnetic media.

This creates huge cost savings and unparalleled parts identity opportunities for manufacturers, distributors and suppliers throughout the supply chain.

Since data collection is a key component part marking, Intermec has teamed with RVSI Acuity CiMatrix and ID Integration to form a strong parts marking team, a one-source solution for the automotive industry. To streamline implementation, the multi-company consortium can provide products to mark, read, verify and communicate parts data, support configuration management systems and provide integration assistance. The support includes imaging and scanning devices, printers, mobile and fixed computers, and wired and wireless networks.

Permanent bar coding offers tremendous benefits for everyone. The main benefit to customers is improved vehicle configuration control. It also will help reduce their ownership costs by identifying all parts individually and by reducing the inventory of parts on hand.

Just as Intermec blazed the trail in automated data collection with the bar code for the past three decades, it is poised to take an even larger role in the automotive industry with its innovative leadership in RFID and direct parts marking. This new business frontier offers Intermec a multitude of opportunities that did not exist just a few years ago. With our solid partnerships and tested technologies, we’re ready for the next step: success in the fast lane.