Thales and BlueCats digital awareness transforms asset tracking at Garden Island

Thales Australia's Above Water Systems business is trialing a Bluetooth/GPS based asset location tracking technology, developed by Australian SME, BlueCats. The Real Time Location System (RTLS) technology enables Thales' work teams at Garden Island Defence Precinct (GIDP) to 'tag' a piece of equipment and remotely track its location at all times.

When preparing for the arrival of a naval ship or commercial vessel, the Thales Dock Operations and Reticulation Services (DORSC) team undertake a variety of activities to enable safe and successful dockings. These tasks can range from manufacturing dock blocks, internal transport services, caisson movements, cranage, air, sewerage, power and water services and may require hundreds of individual pieces of equipment, or ‘assets’ in addition to significant efforts from the DORSC team.

To enhance asset tracking, utilisation and accountability, therefore reducing cost, saving time and improving efficiency, the team worked with BlueCats to apply its unique technology to the challenging environment of a naval dockyard. Not only does the RTLS assist the DORSC team in preparing the Captain Cook Graving Dock (CCGD) to receive a naval vessel but also in providing maintenance and support services once it has docked.

“It was a pleasure to work with BlueCats on this project. The real time asset tracking solution allows our business to digitally monitor the tagged assets on how the DORSC equipment moves across the worksite which is easily accessible via a mobile device” said Thales DORSC Program Manager, Darren Moore.

“We were confident that our real time asset tracking solution would be a good fit for the work Thales does at Garden Island. Captain Cook Graving Dock is one of the largest dry docks in the Southern Hemisphere and personnel can spend considerable amounts of time looking for the right piece of kit. Now, a desktop search can eliminate 98 percent of the facility in a matter of minutes,” said BlueCats CEO, Nathan Dunn.

The BlueCats solution stands apart from other asset tracking technologies. Not only has the entire system been designed with scalability in mind, the custom-developed ruggedised combined Bluetooth/GPS tags boast a battery life of up to 10 years.

Traditional GPS-derived RTLS solutions often require an accompanying, recurring data backhaul expense per tag that can significantly drive costs up depending on the number of tags being deployed. The BlueCats dual Bluetooth/GPS system enables the hundreds of tags to be utilised without a direct and corresponding increase in associated recurring data costs.

Coverage is provided by BlueCats connected gateways known as ProxPoints, devices specifically designed to be easily deployed in challenging environments. A number of ProxPoints have been installed in fixed locations around the Captain Cook Graving Dock while others have been mounted as mobile readers on the golf carts used to traverse the vast precinct.

An additional differentiator is the flexibility of the integration. The intent of the solution is to track and monitor assets, however, the insights gained can be integrated to inform predictive maintenance as well as a range of other business applications including real time alert systems, equipment management workflows.

While initially confined to the dock the trial, has been extended further on the facility and is proving to deliver significant benefits to the Thales team and our customers.

“Since the asset tracking system was installed, we have seen  a reduction in administrative time which allows the team to focus on other critical tasks. The system provides us enhanced accuracy and visibility on the tagged assets” said Moore.

‘We are immensely proud of the level of digital awareness we have been able to deliver to the Thales team at Garden Island in such a short period of time. This increased awareness will save so much time and energy traditionally wasted on simply finding needed tools or equipment. This time can be used to continue the great work the Thales team do in managing a critical sustainment asset for the Commonwealth.,” said  Dunn

To read more about BlueCats, please visit their website, here.