Land Rover Uses RFID to Track Fleet

IRVINE, CA – Land Rover is using WhereNet active RFID, real-time locating system (RTLS) technology to help automate processing of more than 150,000 new vehicles annually. Deployed at Land Rover’s 308-acre assembly plant in Solihull, the tracking and management system improves production velocity and throughput, labor productivity, order-to-cash cycles, and vehicle quality. The Solihull plant produces the Defender, Discovery 3/LR3, Range Rover, and Range Rover Sport vehicles, according to the Web site www.industryweek.com.

Land Rover realized a complete return on investment in less than one year as a result of better labor utilization and reduced on-site dwell time of vehicles as a result of better management of their flow through the quality assurance processes. By dispatching cars more quickly into the delivery chain, Land Rover has improved its order-to-cash cycle time, resulting in considerable savings of millions of dollars.

The system manages vehicles as they roll off the assembly line and provides complete visibility of all finished vehicles regardless of where they are parked. Land Rover can also use the system in off-line areas to manage post-assembly verification and test processes, as well as quality repair, containment, and shipping zones.