DoD Will Reject Item Shipments Without Proper UID Labels

In the latest UID news, all military shipments must have Unique Identification ( UID ) markings and meet certain standards. Those standards are set out in MIL-STD-130N. It is important that all military property be properly marked with UID labels for inventory control purposes. It is not sufficient to simply count the number of M-16 rifles in a shipment and compare that number to a manifest. Each individual item must be tracked and UID labels make this task much easier.

The UID labels must be securely attached to each item and easily visible. The UID labels must conform to ISO 15343 in a 2D matrix. The UID image will not be readable by human eye so a UID scanner will be necessary. The UID image can range in size from 300 micrometers to more than 1 meter. UID labels must be able to contain a maximum of 2kb of data.

UID scanners used in warehouses will differ from the ones used in the field. Typically a portable handheld scanner will be used outside of the warehouse but, a smart phone can be programed to function as a scanner as well. It is therefore necessary that the UID labels be manufactured to very strict tolerances so that the UIDimages can be read whenever necessary.

While UID images and scanners may be very complex, they are critical to keeping the military functioning smoothly. If shipments do not have scanner readable UID labels , the Department of Defense will reject them.UID labels play a vital role in ensuring that supplies reach their appropriate destinations. Shipments failing to do so could have dire consequences for those in the field.