If your company works with the United States Department of Defense (DoD), you must comply with military labeling standards. The Item Unique Identification (IUID) or MIL-STD-130 standard was created by the DoD as a way to provide better accountability for their assets. This requires a unique identification code to be assigned to government-owned and purchased equipment using a permanent marking method.
Contractors, suppliers, and other organizations are the ones left to meet the complex specifications and requirements for these labels and make sure they are compliant. So what happens if your labels aren’t up to snuff? An error or issue can result in returned shipments, missed deadlines, wasted time, and even the loss of a government contract for your company.
Although the labeling requirements can be challenging, the benefits of this method of tracking ultimately outweighs the task. Understand some of the benefits of the IUID system that you may not have been aware of, along with solutions that will help ease the labeling process.
The Goal of the IUID System
The IUID system allows the DoD to more efficiently track, acquire, maintain, and export all supplies to ensure they are easily traceable throughout each step of each item’s lifecycle. The goal of the IUID is to improve the quality of the tracking data and the speed at which the data can be acquired.
How everyone benefits:
- Provides Total Asset Visibility (TAV) to guarantee that at any point during the shipping process, any person can view the specific location of an item and details about that specific item
- Improves asset management and streamlines the workflow for everyone in the process
- Eliminates confusion of assets and reduces duplication of asset records
- Reduces chances of theft, counterfeit, and more
- Improves maintenance recording
- Allows for a quicker turnaround of service or failed equipment that is in need of critical parts
- Overall cost-savings for the DoD, contractors, and taxpayers due to increased efficiency and productivity
To achieve compliance, your labels must remain legible and permanent for the entire lifecycle of your products. Thermal transfer printers are recommended by integration experts as a proven compliant method for producing IUID labels and markings.
Simplified Military Labeling Solutions
Save time and streamline your workload using thermal transfer printing technology and label software to create and print all of your required military labels. Thermal transfer printed labels, like those made with DuraLabel industrial label printers, are a more versatile and economic method that you can utilize as a holistic industrial printing resource for a variety of uses throughout your facility.
Easily print compliant MIL-STD-129R and MIL-STD-130N labels and barcodes using DuraLabel Toro.
MIL-STD-129R is the most updated version of the standard released in 2014 that focuses on military marking for shipment and storage. The revision adds an extra required piece of data on the label called a “Transportation Tracking Number” or TTN. The change reflects the DoD transition to lifecycle management of serialized items using programs for IUID and serialized item management.
MIL-STD-130N is the latest version of the standard released in 2012 which focuses on military marking requirements for individual items produced, stocked, stored, and issued for or by the DoD. The revision provides clarification, guidance, and marking criteria regarding the implementation of machine-readable information (MRI) for item identification marking and automatic data capture.
Graphic Products has created a specific version of Toro for military-partnered contractors. The printer comes pre-configured for the military with the need for high security in mind. Toro is designed to be a portable and self-contained unit to keep your information safe; no networking capability means no network security concerns. Use the optional battery to print continuously for three hours without a power cord.
You can ensure your labels will provide long-lasting compliance. Toro label supplies are made for tough conditions including extreme weather, oily surfaces, and areas with harsh chemicals to meet MIL-STD-130N requirements for label durability. Create military labels, tags, and barcodes using LabelForge labeling software:
- Generate linear and 2D Data Matrix barcodes
- Choose from more than 20 barcode formats
- Easily import data from a database or spreadsheet to quickly create custom asset tags and labels
- Make a variety of labels for improved asset management, inventory control, shipping, and more
- Complete your barcode system and easily transfer barcode data into LabelForge using the Honeywell Xenon 1900 barcode scanner
To enhance your asset management, customize materiel condition tags using templates that come pre-installed on Toro. As described in MIL-STD-129R, materiel condition marking: “shall be used whenever materiel may become mixed during storage or shipment within or between installations, or where physical evidence is necessary for materiel control to prevent duplicate inspections, or both.”
While complex, IUID marking provides many benefits for everyone involved in the process to efficiently track and manage valuable assets. This system helps to enable a more efficient, effective, and better-equipped military.
For details about how you can utilize DuraLabel materiel condition label templates in your workplace: call us at 888.326.9244 or request information. To get started easily on your own, download our free guide below.