FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Danette Ward
512.494.5254
ward@fiatech.org

GPS Technology for Locating Fabricated Pipe in Laydown Yards: FIATECH Report of Field Trials Published

AUSTIN, TX, December 6, 2004 — FIATECH has just published "Field Trials of GPS Technology for Locating Fabricated Pipe in Laydown Yards," the fifth report published by FIATECH's Smart Chips project this year.

This pilot trial assessed the potential of GPS technology to improve the tracking and locating of tagged materials, specifically fabricated pipe spools, in construction laydown storage. While materials management has been the focus of much industry research, materials handling procedures on the construction site has been relatively unexamined, and presents potential for significant improvement.

The trial was conducted with KBR personnel on an industrial construction project on the gulf coast of Texas. In the trial, a GPS unit and a handheld computer were integrated into current typical material receiving and issuing processes. Those processes were broken down into a series of distinct steps and the pilot trial measured the time required by field workers to execute those steps. Time measurements were taken for a baseline case in which crews used current typical industry work processes to locate spools. The study then measured times for the separate crews locating the same pipe spools using GPS technology.

"We think this application of GPS technology will be very useful in our field materials operations; especially on some of our large international projects, where we deal with large volumes of material for longer time frames and the local labor force may not be familiar with standard materials management processes," explains Ross Porter, Manager of Emerging Technologies for KBR.

The field measurements observed and analyzed by Dr. Carlos Caldas and David Grau at University of Texas at Austin, clearly quantified the time saved using the GPS system. The average time spent locating a spool using the current process was 6 minutes and 42 seconds, which was reduced to 55 seconds working with GPS system. The reduction of 5 minutes and 47 seconds per spool was validated by a statistical analysis. The researchers estimated that the GPS technology would have paid for itself in warehouse labor savings on a single project handling several thousand tagged items. In addition to these direct warehouse labor savings, the ability to quickly and accurately locate spools will likely improve productivity in downstream installation labor activities. GPS may also reduce the number of times material is handled and reduce the number of lost items. It also creates positive effects on construction performance, standardizes and automates processes, and enhances data entry.

"Field materials management was identified by the Construction Industry Institute (CII) as an area where new technology can enable significant benefits," notes Charles Wood, Smart Chips Project Manager for FIATECH. "This GPS application is compelling because it is inexpensive and relatively easy to implement."

The FIATECH Smart Chips project offers its sponsor companies the opportunity to conduct low-cost or no-cost pilot trials of cutting edge technologies, as well as monthly informational workshops to stay informed about technology developments affecting the construction and operation of plant sites. For more information about this field trial or the FIATECH Smart Chips Project, contact Charles Wood at (713) 523-5380 or cwood@fiatech.org. Or, visit the Web site at http://www.fiatech.org/projects/ijs/schips.htm.

FIATECH members can obtain copies of the report in the Member's Only section on the FIATECH web site. Non-members can purchase a copy for $650.00 by contacting Janie Bushn in the FIATECH office at 512-232-9669 or bushn@fiatech.org.