EPCIS Technology Improves Visibility for North Sea Oil Service and Supply Companies

According to John Glen, Spartan Solutions' technology director, Spartan, Swire and Aker have tested high-frequency (HF) and ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) passive RFID tags, as well as active RFID tags, and plan to continue testing various RFID technologies. But in the meantime, he says, the container information will be tracked using the depot personnel's choice of scanning tags or bar codes (if they are present), or by inputting data by hand.

Not all containers have RFID tags or bar codes, and Spartan is still testing a variety of RFID tags for their read range. It is therefore up to the yard staff's discretion as to the best method for inputting information about each container. "Essentially," Glen says, "they are identifying the most convenient way to communicate data about that container."

John Glen

"Data sharing should not be dependent on RFID," Weatherby says. In the past, he notes, the oil-drilling industry has been focused on RFID technology, testing hardware to measure read rates and the effectiveness of a variety of tags in a rugged and highly metallic environment. In the case of the Spartan system being used by Swire and Aker, the focus is on data sharing, regardless of whether personnel employ RFID tags, bar codes or printed serial numbers.

"RFID is the final enabler," Helgeland says, but while "the industry is waiting for the perfect RFID tag," the Phalanx system provides participants with the ability to share data.

Now that the system is in place, Weatherby indicates, "It should be relatively straightforward for other companies to join them. EPCIS provides the common standard."

Although there are hundreds of organizations that could use the system as part of the North Sea oil-drilling services and supply industry, Weatherby states, "it would take a relatively small number of large companies—six or seven—to create a critical mass" that would make the system beneficial to the majority of the industry. And as RFID technology continues to be evaluated, he adds, the EPCIS system can provide valuable data to operators, freight companies and equipment suppliers.