Understanding MIL STD 130

To manage all its property, assets, purchases, and transferred products or supplies, the U.S. Army utilizes an item unique tracking system that is generally referred to as UID. The UID registry is the database of all these unique items as provided by the suppliers holding contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The UID registry also stores important information about the product, the supplier, and other related manufacturing information. Now, for compliance with the UID registry or UID process, there are a number of specifications that are required. All of these specifications can be found in current MIL STD 130 guidelines. In all DoD UID matters, MIL STD 130 functions as the ultimate resource. It sets the standards for which all the government contractors must follow while manufacturing items to be used as military supplies and equipment.

The ultimate goal of MIL STD 130 is to standardize the data nomenclature and marking methods that are compliant with the UID registry. This UID registry serves as a repository of data about all items supplied to the DoD. This collected UID data includes information about the products’ and also important information about the suppliers or the manufacturers. The Department of Defense has easily access to this UID repository and can gather any information about the suppliers while keeping current records that are relevant to an items location, usage, and maintenance.

For compliance in the UID registry every part and product is required to possess an item unique marking. This UID mark includes important manufacturing details; such as the part number, serial number, date of manufacture, place of manufacture, name of manufacturer/contractor, and much more. The Department of Defense requires stringent compliance of all MIL STD 130 specifications and will reject those products and contractors that are not able to attain this level of quality. Failure to maintain UID compliance may result in a lost contract with various departments of the U.S. Government. Therefore, understanding the requirements of MIL STD 130 guidelines is a major concern for all suppliers to the U.S. Department of Defense.

It is highly recommended that companies seek the advice of experienced UID integrators. The company you choose should be trustworthy and should have sound knowledge about the UID registry and MIL STD 130 specifications. ID Integration, Inc. offers a full range of UID solutions for successful compliance. These integration experts can help their clients to craft thoughtful, effective UID marking, tracking, and testing solutions that noy only ensure full compliance, but also help most manufacturers to increase productivity while reducing expenses through less waste, or scrap, and improve overall end-user safety. To learn more about the UID registry and MIL STD 130 please visit ID Integration, Inc. online at http://www.id-integration.com/uid-marking.htm.