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Trinova USA manufactures pinch valves and replacement sleeves known for outstanding performance, specifically in high abrasion environments. These valves and sleeves, manufactured in the United States, are frequently used in industrial applications, wastewater treatment, power generation and similar harsh environments.

Constantly seeking solutions

Trinova’s North American General Manager, Ben Payne, oversees procurement, production, engineering, manufacturing, customer service and daily operations, which means that he’s a busy guy with, literally, lots of moving parts to his job. He is constantly on the lookout for a better way of doing things.

“We had been looking for ways to help our clients reduce their total cost of ownership by allowing them to eliminate manual tasks, such as maintenance logs, and save time by accessing all pertinent product information directly on their cell phone,” Payne explains. The company was also considering using barcodes to help with inventory management.

Then one of Payne’s colleagues suggested checking out BitRip, a free app that seamlessly tracks any type of physical asset using preprinted, scannable BR Code labels from Duck Pro by Shurtape. The app easily integrates with Trinova’s existing software workflows, and each code stores massive amounts of data and tracks every scanned location, unlocking field-level visibility. The app and labels were conceived in field combat operations by retired U.S. Marine, Nick Dimitruk, who co-founded the company with Catherine Chapman.

“We were in dirty, rapidly changing, dangerous places and using expensive, mission-critical gear. We realized that people in other industries had the same headaches, stress, and urgency to get the mission done quickly and effectively, so we invented this technology,” Dimitruk says.

Payne says the concept of BR Code’s robust labels combined with cloud-based data was exactly what they were seeking regarding inventory management. “We saw that it was a better solution than just a plain barcode and that BitRip and the BR Code labels would allow us to control our inventory,” he says. However, Payne and his team soon realized they could add and update notes, purchase order numbers, invoice numbers and other types of information.

A sticky situation

Of course, making the solution work for this application was entirely dependent upon that label staying where it’s been placed. “We did a lot of trial and error to make sure the label would withstand our high-temperature manufacturing process as well as stay affixed when they are installed,” Payne adds. Trinova uses BR Code’s heaviest duty labels, called PXL, which have stood up to the challenge.

The team quickly found that BR Code labels hold up to — and thrive — in dirty, wet, industrial fields of applications like mines, water treatment and energy plants and paper mills. They began affixing a label to every item that ships from its multiple locations. The Trinova team simply affixes a label and scans it with the BitRip app, and then adds whatever information they choose. Then, when a valve or a skid arrives at a jobsite for installation, anyone with the app and permission — the installer, end user, distributor or manufacturer’s rep — can scan the label and pull up the pertinent documents preloaded by Trinova.

However, the field level user can also add any other information — installation date, operating instructions, etc. — and update it whenever they choose. Payne says offering this innovative technology to customers as a value-add has differentiated BitRip from its competitors. “The label can provide access to any information we choose, like the purchase order, client name, client address, job location, pictures of the product prior to shipment, installation and operation manuals, maintenance logs and schedule," he says. “Really anything you want to capture can be loaded onto BitRip.”

When the Trinova sales team mentions this option on sales calls, customers’ eyes frequently light up at the possibility of having such quick and easy on-the-go access to all this data — and the potential time and money savings. While Trinova can’t control how users use BitRip, they appreciate gaining insight they wouldn’t get otherwise.

One-way visibility is better than none

“We really like the visibility that we get in terms of seeing where our product is, wherever in the world it is. When a client scans it, it pulls a record and we can see, ‘oh, they did do maintenance,’ or if it’s a distributor, it tells us where they installed it,” Payne explains. Another differentiator from barcodes or QR codes is that there is no need for Trinova or its customers to keep a separate log of information — the documents specific to that one piece of labeled equipment are all right there in that digital, cloud-based file.

Once Trinova had settled on trying BitRip, the implementation was incredibly simple. “We just downloaded the app, purchased the labels, and that was it. It was very easy,” Payne says. He adds that the value gained from the app and labels pales in comparison to the miniscule cost and effort.

Trinova expects to potentially add installation and operation manuals, and drawings with basic dimensions, to BitRip in the future. Payne says that he would recommend the app and labels to any business, but he would prefer his competition ignoring the technology. Staying one step ahead of the competition is a key to any business’ success.