Total Asset Visibility: An Automated Solution

Instructor: Lucien Millette, MCPIC, Brandon Pledger, MCPIC

During Transportation Academy, held in conjunction with the 2021 NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting, Mr. Lucien Millette, Director at CGI, and Mr. Brandon Pledger, Training Manager at CGI, presented Total Asset Visibility: An Automated Solution. Specifically, this discussion centered around a Total Asset Visibility solution at Blount Island Command (Jacksonville, FL) and Marine Corps Logistics Command (MARCORLOGCOM).

The Total Asset Visibility platform, called the Marine Corps Platform Integration Capability (MCPIC), integrates a combination of Passive Radio Frequency Identification tags, labels and readers, barcodes, Internet of Things edge devices, Global Positioning Systems devices, ruggedized tablets, robotic solutions, and other commercial equipment to provide near-real-time location and condition of military assets.

MCPIC has proven exponential increases in speed-to-count inventories at Blount Island Command and MARCORLOGCOM (99 percent time reduction of a full inventory on a total of over $10 billion worth of assets). MCPIC enabled MARCORLOGCOM to receive a “100 percent compliant” audit report this fiscal year. These efficiencies led the USMC client to expand the capabilities of MCPIC from principle end items (trucks, tanks, containers, etc.) to tracking equipment in warehouses for unit and individual issue equipment.

Recent innovations have allowed for the digitization of the paper-based inspection process, allowing for condition metrics captured in disconnected environments to be analyzed and added to the visualization of assets’ locations. The automated tracking and visualized user interface (UI) applications enable improvement in business processes, providing a more agile and efficient workforce.