Telco Giant Turns to Camcode Tags for Joint Use Poles

Joint use relationships are complicated enough on their own without the added burden of determining the method of asset and pole identification. Numbered poles, GIS coordinates, standard bar codes – none are quite sufficient in delivering accurate pole identification for the long haul.

That’s why Camcode’s Metalphoto® bar code asset tags are the tag of choice for one major telecommunications company, a former Bell with approximately three million poles in more than a dozen U.S. states.

“The pole can be put into a work flow very quickly … it’s a huge time saver.”

They’re in the midst of an ambitious three-year project to inventory and tag their poles, working with a joint use asset management software provider. Each 2” x 2” tag will identify the pole owner through its serial number and bar code, and is field-proven to last outdoors for 20 to 30 years.

“These tags need to be resistant to temperatures, weather and UV exposure, and even rodents and birds,” says an executive of the joint use software company. “The combination of Camcode’s SO354® aluminum and proprietary imaging process ensures that the tag will stick around longer than the pole will.”

This executive and his pole inventory team see firsthand how adequate pole identification can strengthen joint use relationships with increased rental revenue, easier asset management tracking, and quicker identification for repair and service calls. Because of the compatibility of Camcode tags with asset management software programs, delays to pole maintenance are drastically reduced.

“If a technician observes damage to the pole, they can ID the pole through a handheld device that talks to our system, and the pole can be put into a work flow very quickly,” says the executive. “It’s a huge time saver.”

“The combination of Camcode’s SO354® aluminum and proprietary imaging process ensures that the tag will stick around longer than the pole will.”

Better yet, using the Camcode bar code tags will significantly improve this telecommunications company’s productivity and effectiveness by reducing entry errors in the field.

The combined efforts of this company’s joint use inventory team and Camcode’s three million Metalphoto bar code asset tags will likely help this telecommunications company recover millions of dollars in lost rental revenues, while also ensuring more accurate data collection and tracking well into the future. And as a result of this positive experience, Camcode’s become a tag of choice for this joint use software company as well.

“Once we saw what they could do, we came to them for two more projects,” says the company executive. “They were very quick to come up with new ideas, produce drawings and provide samples to get the concept across to our customer, which has been huge in terms of moving these projects forward.”