Friday, April 8, 2011

Gary Moe, President of ID Integration, Speaks in Favor of UID System

Defense is an important responsibility of the government of any nation. The safety and protection of an entire population depends on the strength of its military. The stronger the defense, the more powerful it grows eventually. The defense department of any nation, therefore, has to be very diligent and responsible with every step that it takes. The UID is a unique system with through its implementation all the assets that are owned, distributed, or used by the U.S. military are registered and authenticated with a unique identification mark, called the UID code.

Gary Moe is the President of IDI, which is a company that he co-founded in the year 1999 and one of the most well known providers of UID marking solutions in the U.S. Forty-something, Gary Moe, who now lives in Washington State, explained that all the items or possessions of the military, specifically the Department of Defense must be marked with a special code. Gary Moe has extensive experience in DoD integration applications. He has been well served by his Bachelor’s Degree in chemical engineering and also his experiences as the Chairman of the UID Supplier Alliance. He believes that a unique identification marking system helps any business better manage assets, production effectiveness, safety, and overall accountability.

Just like every citizen of the United States is provided with a unique, Social Security Number, each and every item that is possessed and owned by the military, too, has to be marked with a special and unique code that authenticates it and facilitates tracking, storing, stocking, and recognition. There are various tools within UID system, including, barcode printers, scanners, 2D parts scanners, and more. Gary Moe’s expert staff at ID Integration provides solutions to all kinds of ID integration needs for DoD suppliers.

There are a number of ways in which a UID code can be marked on an item. Gary Moe explains that these processes include a wide range of technologies like etching, bonding, laser marking, high resolution inkjet printing, or even programmable indent stamping – just to name a few. The durability of the mark often depends on the marking technique that has been used. Mark permanence is a requirement throughout the entire lifetime of a product.

Today, a unique identification marking system is not only used by many government bodies, but also by non-government bodies. Marking for traceability purposes is especially prominent in the pharmaceutical and food industries due to safety precautions and practices. By maintaining an effective marking solution, a company gains the ability to track and pinpoint down to the batch. With this capability, a company can quickly get dangerous products off store shelves and ultimately save many lives in the process.

Marking UID Labels Following DFARS 252.211-7003

The United States of America follows an extensive system to ensure maximum protection and safety to an entire nation of people. With today’s critical need for national security, our government makes it a primary objective to ensure complete tracking of all Department of Defense (DoD) assets for safety and security purposes, throughout the full life cycle of a given product or part. In July 2003, the DoD established a set of guidelines, containing certain rules and regulations that need to be followed by the military and any suppliers to the U.S. Department of Defense.

These regulations contained a series of specifications for UID marking to generate an orderly and methodical means of tracking assets from their purchase, to distribution, or usage anywhere by the U.S. government. A popular form of accepted identification, UID labels, emerged as a preferable solution for the DoD guidelines; including DFARS 252.211-7003. These guidelines contain specific instructions to the marking method, identification nomenclature, and durability requirements, among many other important factors. To become more proficient in all the relevant DoD rules and regulations, consult the full text contained within the DFARS 252.211-7003 along with MIL SPEC 130 or MIL STD 130. Primarily, the UID labels were used only by the Government or the military but nowadays, many non government bodies too, are using the UID labels to authenticate and keep track of the various items and properties owned by it.

There are some basics, that need to be kept in mind when attempting to meet or exceed the DoD enforced DFARS 252.211-7003 standards:

• Remember that UID marking is done to assist in tracking and recognizing a particular item throughout its complete lifecycle. Therefore the UID labels, or identification marks, must be positioned in a way that is prominently visible. This mark must not be hidden in any corner of the item. DFARS 252.211-7003 stipulates specifically that all UID marking needs to be placed somewhere on the clearly visible parts of the body of the item.

• According to DFARS 252.211-7003 requirements UID labels can be marked in several ways, including etching, bonding, laser marking, high resolution inkjet printing, dot peen stamping, chemical stenciling, and etching, among many other effective measures. Most businesses tend to select the marking method that fits best within their existing production processes, while complying to the DFARS 252.211-7003 standards; as well as MIL SPEC 130.

• Sometimes, a situation arises, when there isn’t much space available on the body of an item. DFARS 252.211-7003 and other regulations require at least the minimum and the most basic of the information to be marked on the body of the item. Some UID labels are really long and if the item is of a small size, it might not be easy to mark it with the entire long code. In such a situation, the most important and basic information needs to be placed on the body. In some exceptions, it is possible to affix a UID label tag to an item in order to meet compliance requirements.

Gary Moe Educates & Upholds MIL-STD-129 Specifications for UID Marking

The idea of unique identification is a concept that assists both official government agencies and well-known manufacturers in creating a traceable, integrated system of marking, scanning, verification, and data analysis tools. ID Integration President and Chairman of the UID Supplier Alliance, Mr. Gary Moe believes in the many benefits of the UID marking guidelines, as detailed in MIL-STD-129. The concept of marking and coding products has spread throughout U.S. industry and other parts of the world. Today, there just about every successful manufacturer has some practices in place for unique identification marking of parts and products as well as traceability throughout distribution channels for the life of most products.

Basically, MIL-STD-129 is not rocket science. However, it’s not exactly simple either. These guidelines spell out the adopted standards or rules that need to be followed while marking an item that supplied to the United States, Department of Defense (DoD). These standards were introduced by the DoD in July of 2003 and continue to remain in force to date.

To gain a greater understanding of the specifications contained within these MIL-STD-129 requirements, Gary Moe and his associates at ID Integration, make it their business every day, to help DoD manufacturers achieve compliance for more successful government contracts. The expertise of Gary Moe and his fellow integration specialists understand the great purpose in a compliant UID marking system. Through the standards upheld in MIL-STD-129, our entire nation and its population, is more protected and safeguarded, with an efficient, strong military and Defense network.

According to Gary Moe, these UID labels function in a manner that facilitates the smooth and organized working of the military. Let us take a look at the various ways that UID marking is a great benefit for the entire Department of Defense; in addition to many corporations around the world. Regardless of the guidelines that must be followed, and whether a contract is primarily dealing with DFARS 252.211-7003 or MIL-STD-129, these sets of standards must be followed strictly for a smooth running relationship.

• MIL-STD-129 presents certain set of rules and regulations that need to be followed when marking items for UID compliance. The various UID solutions include a wide range of equipment like UID barcode scanners, 2D data matrix scanners, UID barcode printers, laser marking systems, and so much more. Often, it’s necessary to thoroughly evaluate a product and its related production process to gain an understanding of the best methods for a particular integration project. Each marking method has its purpose and some may be more efficient than others in various UID applications.

• As described by Gary Moe, IDI President and Chairman of the UID Supplier Alliance, most UID marking has gone main stream today. However, popular consensus in the industrial arena does not replace the stringent requirements set in place by the Department of Defense. Failure to adhere to guidelines as described in MIL-STD-129 or MIL-STD-130 can ultimately result in lost contracts. UID marking is a matter to be taken very seriously.

• Automated marking, scanning, and analysis technologies can make even the most challenging UID marking application more efficient and cost effective for all parties involved. There have been numerous innovations in recent years and these have really helped to solve a large amount of manufacturing problems.

If you’re venturing into the arena of DoD contracts, then it is beneficial to consider consulting services from UID integration leaders like, ID Integration and Gary Moe. Don’t navigate the confusing waters of MIL-STD-129 alone; trust in an experienced professional who knows exactly how to provide the best UID solution for your company’s needs.