JPL RFID takes the mystery out of managing assets with comprehensive RFID solution
Based in Houston, Texas, JPL RFID (radio frequency identification) is an American startup offering an advanced, cloud-based asset management, tracking-tracing, and hardware solution. Designed for businesses in the oil and gas industry, JPL is helping companies take the guesswork out of managing their assets and inventory by providing near real-time access to asset information, reporting, and compliance. With innovative asset tracking, GPS location tracking, mapping, and safety and regulatory compliance tools, JPL helps users take steps to increase their businesses overall productivity and profitability, while still managing to reduce overhead costs. In the oil and gas industry regulatory compliance, data collection, and asset management is still primarily done the old fashioned way – using a pen and paper. JPL offers a simple way for organizations to streamline their business process and bring their company into the 21st century.
According to JPL President Jason Pitcock, “The key to successful supply chain and operations management is to know where things are, where they have been, and where they should go next. Our aim is to help our clients benefit from project management disciplines without creating a burdensome level of administrative work in the process. Our solution integrates the latest technologies to bring industries together on a common platform to share analytical data. We’re basically acting as a one-stop-shop, a comprehensive solution for our companies in our industry.”
JPL’s RFID solution has advantages over the traditional barcode approach and the company can quickly deploy tailormade solutions to meet the immediate needs of any business in the industry. JPL can work within their client’s processes and systems, within their service provider’s system or, supply JPL systems for event management and global freight tracking.
“Because so many companies in the oil and gas industry have highly complex inventories, they require a solution with comprehensive functionality,” Pitcock continues, “And our creative solutions allow multiple users from any location to view and manage assets, inventory, and data. We want to help companies increase their profitability without having to change the overarching theme of their business. Their originality helped them get off the ground, we just want to help streamline and amplify what has given them past success.”
JPL RFID working with the Houston Crime Lab”
A member of the BizSpark program for little more than a year, JPL is a newcomer to the Azure platform. Although the company originally began to build their solutions using RackSpace, the team decided to make the switch to Azure because of its reputation as more of a global solution. “RackSpace would have worked fine for us if we didn’t have the goal to expand the business globally,” Pitcock continues, “But we knew that if we wanted to increase our profitability and expand our geographic reach, a new platform had to be in the cards. It’s worked great for us.”
JPL RFID uses Microsoft Azure to host their SAAS asset and inventory database which integrates with Motorola (Zebra) MC9190Z handheld RFID/barcode computers and the company’s mobile and tablet applications. In addition to Azure, JPL utilizes Microsoft’s SQL server to build intelligent, mission-critical applications with enhanced in-memory performance and advanced security to in-database analytics. The company also leverages ASP.NET to ensure that their applications are simple, fast, and can scale to the needs of any customer – irrespective of the size of their business.
Pitcock concludes, “We’re happy with a lot of things the BizSpark program has done for us, particularly the technology we now have easy access to. It has really helped our solution and improved our business.”
In addition to their work with the oil and gas industry, the JPL team is beginning to showcase their considerable talents in the world of forensics. The company recently began working with Dr. Peter Stout and the Houston Forensic Science Center, the former Houston PD crime lab, to implement a pilot tracking program for the lab’s supplies.
“We are currently working with Dr. Stout to outfit the lab’s supplies with JPL barcodes and RFID tags that will allow touch-free, automatic scanning of all effected products. Functionally, this works the same way a toll tag on the side of your vehicle would - when supplies are moved in, out, and around the lab, they are automatically scanned and tracked so that nothing is ever unaccounted for. It’s all about making things easier for the people working to keep our communities safe,” concludes Pitcock. View video to learn more about their Forensics Supply Room Inventory and Data Tracking Solution.
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About BizSpark: Microsoft BizSpark is a global program that helps startups succeed by giving free access to Microsoft Azure cloud services, software and support. BizSpark members receive up to $750 per month of free Microsoft Azure cloud services for 1 year: that’s $150 per month each for up to 5 developers. Azure works with Linux and open-source technologies such as Linux, Ruby, Python, Java and PHP. BizSpark is available to startups that are privately held, less than 5-years-old and earn less than $1M in annual revenue.