Visidot Installs Unique Ford F150 Chassis Identification AIDC System

ImageID Ltd., a leader in Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) technology has successfully installed a Visidot AIDC System at the Ford F150 plant in Dearborn to improve production speed and increase plant efficiency. The installation was implemented in conjunction with Visidot partner Wireless & Barcode in Michigan. The Ford plant, which produces Ford F150s, uses a fully automated Build Order system to produce its trucks.

ImageID Ltd., a leader in Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) technology has successfully installed a Visidot AIDC System at the Ford F150 plant in Dearborn to improve production speed and increase plant efficiency. The installation was implemented in conjunction with Visidot partner Wireless & Barcode in Michigan. The Ford plant, which produces Ford F150s, uses a fully automated Build Order system to produce its trucks. With multiple frame types to choose from, the company was looking for the most efficient way to expedite verification of the chassis type as it was being placed onto the production line. In December 2004, the company decided to install the Visidot system at the frame entrance to the plant to identify and verify the correct selection of the chassis type before it reached the conveyor belt inside. The newly installed Visidot reader captures a 2D Data Matrix label affixed to each chassis and confirms, in real-time with Ford’s production line controller, that the chassis is correct and can enter the assembly line. Since installation, the system accuracy has been perfect - 100%. Ford considered other options before selecting Visidot. The particular conditions at the plant meant that the right system would need to meet several criteria. First, due to the size of and position of the chassis, the system had to be able to capture a label from a distance of more than 20 feet and encompass a large field of view of over 3 feet wide. Secondly, the company needed to find a solution that would not incur up-charges from parts suppliers. For this reason, RFID would have been cost-prohibitive whereas the price of adding the 2D Data Matrix symbol to the existing paper label is practically zero.