Thursday, May 27, 2010

UID: The Keys to Compliance

The Unique Identification (UID) program of the U.S. Department of Defense is an inventory and property management system. The Department of Defense implemented the Unique Identification program to provide efficiencies with acquisition and repair of UID marked items and to enhance deployment and other logistics processes of property under the control of the Department of Defense.

The Unique Identification program specifies what items require UID markings, the information to include in the UID markings and how the UID markings are to be applied to the item. MIL-STD-130N, Identification Marking of U.S. Military Property, provides the specifications for Unique Identification. MIL-STD-130N must be followed for all items subject to Unique Identification produced or serviced for the Department of Defense. The items subject to Unique Identification are defined in DFARS Clause 252.211-7003, Item Identification and Valuation.

In general the items requiring UID markings are:
a) all items with a cost per unit of $5,000 and greater
b) Department of Defense serially managed, embedded, mission critical and controlled inventory items regardless of cost
c) any item if requested

Businesses that do not work directly with the Department of Defense as suppliers or contractors may also be required to mark items in compliance with the UID program. This will occur when a business sells items or components to a Department of Defense supplier and these items or components are embedded into an end product supplied to or serviced for the Department of Defense.

According to MIL-STD-130N UID markings must be applied in such fashion the markings will remain permanent and readable for the expected life of the item marked. To ensure the markings will be permanent for the expected life of the item the environmental conditions and the typical maintenance procedures the marked item will be subjected to must be considered when determining the marking method. Items subjected to extreme environmental conditions or harsh cleaning chemicals will require more durable marking methods and materials. MIL-STD-130N provides flexibility in the materials used for UID markings and the methods of marking while being specific regarding the information required in and format of the UID markings. Although UID markings may be in human readable formats machine readable format is preferred when there is insufficient space to mark in both formats.

Correctly implementing the Department of Defense's UID program according to MIL-STD-130N and DFARS Clause 252.211-7003 is complicated as shown by this overview of the Unique Identification program. It is wise to turn to the experts at ID-Integration for more information.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Classification of Mil Spec 130 and UID

Mil spec 130 is the Military Standard Practice document specifying Identification Marking of U.S. Military Property under the Unique Identification policy of the U.S. Department of Defense. The UID policy was adopted by the Department of Defense in July 2003 and has undergone several refinements since. The current version of the military specification Identification Marking of U.S. Military Property is MIL-STD-130N and was released December 17, 2007.

All contractors of and suppliers to the Department of Defense are required to comply with the requirements specified in mil spec 130. This document is available from the U.S. Department of Defense in PDF format on the internet at http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/pdi/uid/attachments/MIL-STD-130N-20080111.pdf.

Mil spec 130N is a 52-page document providing both general and detailed requirements of UID markings. The topics covered in the General Requirements section of mil spec 130N include: application methods; location, size and content; permanency and legibility; use of identification plates or labels, tags and bands; deleterious effect; abbreviated information; and allowable type or font.

The Detailed Requirements, Notes, Tables and Figures sections of mil spec 130N in combination provide the information required to produce a compliant UID marking. The Detailed Requirements section of mil spec 130N covers in detail the minimum information to be included in the UID marking, industry specific identifiers which are recognized by the Department of Defense as IUID equivalents, the Data Matrix symbol and other machine-readable formats, inclusion of human-readable formats and when human-readable information may be omitted, and the quality of all markings.

The Detailed Requirements section of mil spec 130N also includes specifications to follow when the item is designed and manufactured by the same entity, is designed by one entity and manufactured by another entity, or acquired from a subcontractor by the design entity.

The Notes, Tables and Figures sections of mil spec 130N show the variety of formats and constructs which may be used in conjunction to produce compliant UID markings. Mil spec 130 provides the flexibility of combining the various formats and constructs to provide the appropriate UID marking for each item.

As you can see from this overview of Military Standard mil spec 130, marking UID required items in compliance with mil spec 130 is complicated and it is wise to turn to the experts at ID-Integration for more information.

Mil-Std-129 - ID-Integration the company for Barcode Identification Systems

Identifying equipment and supplies for storage and shipment is essential for those companies with military contracts. Mil-Std-129 is the standard necessary to define those requirements to insure that all markings are readily identifiable with a code that is unique and uniform for asset management.
The definition of the Department of Defense Unique Identification program is:

The tangible data set that is unique and unmistakable that ensures integrity and quality throughout the life of an asset while supporting multi-faceted business applications and users.
Implementing the Unique Identification (UID) policy in support of the Department of Defense (DoD) mission and interpretation of Mil-Std-129 can be overwhelming.

Barcode Identification Systems selection:
The requirements of Mil-Std-129 make the decision for which company creates this system very important. Having an education system in place to inform customers and keep them updated on policy changes is essential. ID-Integration is the company that will guide a business through the regulatory environment, the policy, implementation, business rules, and changes while implementing Mil-Std-129.

Regulatory Environment
Complying with the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 started the ongoing solution for addressing the problems facing Federal programs involving inventory and operation readiness. Federal agencies were challenged to provide useful, reliable and timely inventory data and the Unique Identification Program was the solution.

To keep up with the needs of management systems the Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996 was passed. The purpose was to accentuate a management style that would align performance with the organizational goals which would reduce costs and encourage responsibility while improving financial management. Mil-Std-129 was a vehicle to help achieve these goals. The Mil-Std-129 defines how and when to use these Unique Identifications.

The Policy
Total asset visibility is a program designed to improve the ability of Logisticians and managers to obtain information of the location, quantity, condition, and movement of assets through logistic programs. Mil-Std-129 defines how equipment and supplies are labeled for a seamless flow and complete visibility. Visibility of the Military's existing assets is critical to track material, maintain accurate records and provide timely information to those who have a need.


During the operations of Desert Shield and Desert Storm asset identification became problematic. Because of a lack for visibility of the contents, thousands of containers had to be opened manually inventoried and resealed, then reinserted into the system. This was a huge undertaking and considerable time was lost in the effort.
Since then the requirements of Mil-Std-129 has enabled existing assets to be more visible making a dramatic impact on Military logistics.

Details of Mil-std-129 and Mil-Std-130 requirements are complicated. Experts at ID-Integration have many experts in this field. Education information and product information for UID Scanners/UID Imagers are available at ID-Integration helping to make it easier to deal with military standard compliant labels.
Contact information is at http://www.id-integration.com.