Yokota Airmen pave the way for IUID

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Lynsie Nichols
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  Airmen stationed at Yokota Air Base, Japan, are the first in the Pacific Air Forces to begin using the new, asset marking and tracking system being implemented at U.S. Air Force installations around the world.

Item Unique Identification is an asset identification method leveraged by the Department of Defense to uniquely identify an equipment item or asset by using a label and hand held terminal.

Once this system is integrated across the Air Force, annual inventories will be much more accurate while increasing in speed and efficiency.

"An automated inventory process would not allow individuals to misrepresent the location of assets," said Tech. Sgt. Ya Vue, 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron outbound non-comissioned in charge of equipment management. "This type of electronic inventory eliminates misidentification of assets by personnel unfamiliar with the items."

Tech. Sgt. Carole Lampley, 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron inbound NCOIC of equipment management said she agreed with Sergeant Vue, adding, "This new program will make all equipment easily identifiable with the scan of a label, making the integrity of all assets 100 percent and reducing paper use."

IUID dramatically improves the acquisition of equipment and performance-based logistics services for the war fighter. The system also helps decrease the time between when the equipment gets processed and when it arrives at its final deployed location.

"More accurate technology can help identify assets for deployment and create deployment packages more efficiently," said Sergeant Vue. "It will be used to order assets and show the real-time location for on-time shipment or diversion to a higher priority requirement."

Once the equipment is scanned, personnel will see all the information about the item, allowing them to predict when maintenance will be required.

As new equipment arrives here, it will be marked by supply Airmen. The inventory here is expected to be completed by Feb. 1, and should be in use Air Force wide by 2012.