EPF - Electronic Product Files
Many companies
invest huge budget and effort in making maintenance services more effective
and lower cost. Lower cost in the sense of Life Cycle Cost (LCC) taking into
account direct maintenance service and replaced parts costs but also down/up
times, miss-process/yield, certificates, safety, QA, etc. Effective
maintenance depends on accurate, complete and timely information available
any time to all field engineers performing their crucial duties.
EPF is a
complete and efficient solution for such requirements of optimizing LCC. A
device (tag) is attached to the controlled product (or system) that will
enable any field engineer equipped with an interrogator device to actually
“interview” the product to get any information needed. This somehow
simulates an MD and patient relationship. The MD can ask the patient
questions about history, lab results, treatments, last visit, general
feeling, etc. – and the patient responds. Same with the EPF!
The field
engineer can ask the tested product questions about maintenance history,
last treatments, last calibration/test results, maintenance/operational
instructions, etc. and the product responds providing all required
information. Not only that, but the EPF will also document the present
treatment automatically and record it on the product for future use.
The EPF uses
web services for distributing information and generating a central
synchronized backup of the accumulated information. Same web services
support control of world wide operations, distribution of updated versions,
etc. The system consists of all components required for its operation.
The basic EPF
kit, for a single location, consists of a commercial PDA (including
integrated reader), 50 Tags, S/W, Manuals and Instructions. Customers can
purchase additional tags and/or PDA’s or upgrade the handheld terminal to an
industrial PDA.
Designed
by