Legacy items - for many associated with UID this phrase conjures up the unenviable task of uniquely identifying the millions of legacy items out there. The deadline for marking legacy items is looming and putting together a well-thought out plan now will help accomplish this seemingly huge task. Deciding what construct to use when identifying and tracking Legacy Items is a large part of this plan and can be a very confusing issue. It is one of the most frequent questions that come up as our UID Specialists work with customers looking to become UID compliant. To help clarify some of the questions surrounding Construct One the UID Specialists at Metalcraft have compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding tracking Legacy Items with Construct One to share with you.
Question: How do I know if I need to use Construct One or Construct Two on my legacy items?
Answer: Construct One serializes within the enterprise identifier and Construct Two serializes within the part,lot or batch number. The DOD Guide to Uniquely Identifying Items indicates either construct may be used but it doesn't dictate which one should be used for new items and which to use for legacy items. An enterprise should pick one construct and utilize it consistently.
Question: What if my legacy items are scattered throughout my location?
Answer: Using Construct One will make applying the UII mark much easier to apply the "next in line" serial number rather than have to go through hundreds of labels trying to find the right one to make sure it gets put on the correct item. Purchasing a batch of labels is more economical than buying one at a time. In addition, using preprinted labels will greatly minimize the need to invest capital and human resources for DPM or other on-site printing.
Question: What if my company doesn't have just one department that is keeping track of items, and how would I know that by using Construct One that someone else in the company doesn't have the same idea and duplicate UII’s are created?
Answer: Since it is imperative that contract requirements are met, an enterprise may check the UII Registry before assigning the serial number. An enterprise or contractor is encouraged to form cross-functional teams to spearhead their UII requirements and initiate a controlled serialization process to avoid duplication and rework.
What are your thoughts about using Construct One to track legacy items? Do you have other questions about using one construct over the other to track legacy items? We’d love to hear your comments.Labels: legacy items, uid, uid labels, uid tags, unique item identification