Functional Aspects of IUID for the Department of Defense

The IUID program of U.S. Department of Defense provides the suggested methods of implementing the marking requirements for the DoD recognized items. The scope of the program includes items in inventory, operational use, or undergoing depot maintenance, items procured under ongoing contracts and new solicitations, Government-furnished property in the possession of contractors.

The IUID is a strategic essential for the Department of Defense that permanently identifies an individual item of the department for better management. It is also an identification that distinguishes an item from all other items that the Department owns or buys. IUID is machine readable, globally unique data element used for marking personal property items.

The DoD enterprise has been benefited in several ways with the IUID procedures

• Providing IUID is the best commercial practice that is used for asset visibility and traceability methods.
• IUID of the items are used for the advanced audit options for the property, plant, operating materials and equipment management. It is also an aid to DoD’s financial management statements.
• IUID provides an extensive approach to strategic purchasing as the data available for the similar personal property items are more accurate with the unique identification.
• The DoD can achieve an improved and long-term inventory management as the IUID provides better visibility of enterprise assets.
• The mission-oriented activities can have improved planning and execution through total asset visibility.
• The DoD has achieved improved item availability and reduced frustration with IUID of the items that has enhanced the efficiency of item management, improved data availability and asset visibility.
• IUID has lowered the cost of personal property management that has been possible due to consistent use of lifecycle asset information. 
• It also allows total asset visibility for personal property in both peace and wartime.

Marking Requirements of IUID

The required markings of IUID include the products part numbers, manufacturer’s enterprise identifier, and products serial number. The information is provided as embedded data matrix code that is identified by special data matrix scanners. Apart from the data matrix code, the alpha-numeric human-readable information is also embedded with the IUID. Basically, the IUID marking follow two formatting categories- construct#1 and construct#2. These constructs are the two basic templates that are used for etching information of the IUID.

The MIL-STD-130 is the standard to determine the acceptable IUID marking method. There are basically two methods of applying the IUID to an item- direct part marking and use of nameplates or labels. Nameplates are used in case the environment and location of the part is not feasible for marking. However, the IUID should be permanent to a part and should take certain key elements into consideration.

• The color of the text should contrast the color of the background to facilitate machine readability
• The IUID marking should be permanent for the products’ functional lifetime.
• The marking should withstand adverse environmental conditions and chemical.