Edmonton’s HOUNDware Corporation is becoming the top dog in computerized industrial asset tracking.

It has discovered that keeping track of any assets — whether it be only a few items to hundreds of thousands — is a real-world challenge for corporations around the globe.

Last week, HOUNDware Corp. became the new name for Software Integration Services (SIS), founded in 1985 by president Dean Perry.

Perry graduated from the University of Alberta in the mid-’80s with a degree in petrochemical engineering, just as the Alberta market was going through a recession, meaning fewer jobs in his field.

Photo courtesy of HOUNDware
Counting parts by hand is a thing of the past with tracking technology.

Determined, and armed with the programming expertise he had acquired, he started writing custom software. Agrium, formerly Esso Chemical, asked him to create a library system for its tools.

The original product was Tool Hound, a PC-based solution for tool control. Now, with the availability of bandwidth, HOUNDware is available on two platforms: Either as a desktop/server solution or as a browser-based online Internet (ASP) solution on a subscription basis.

“We’ve become flexible to meet the current demand,” says Perry.

HOUNDware uses bar coding and scanning technology as the basis for its solution. It works by applying bar codes or labels to tools, parts, equipment, supplies or any assets.

These can be tracked by using wireless portable data collectors.

Bar-code IDs can also be assigned to employees, so you can not only get the what, but the who as well. Think of it as a library-card system for your industrial and corporate assets. Not only can you track what you have, but where it is, when and where it is needed, when it is needed, what it costs, how often it’s used, who is using it and whether or not they are authorized to use it.

SIS was one of the first companies to bring bar-code technology to the Windows platform. It was while working with a company in Edmonton that AMECO, a division of Fluor, stumbled onto Tool Hound to solve its tracking problems.

“We needed to eliminate filecards, spreadsheets, reams of paper and save trees,” says Larry Wolfe, manager with global operations support for AMECO. “Just point and scan, and the system is updated instantly.”

“It’s like going to the grocery store.”

Wolfe adds: “We’re the second largest engineering and construction company on the planet. We need the ability to report who has what, while eliminating labour-intensive chores.”

It is a global necessity for organizations to track and manage their assets. Items unaccounted for not only mean a loss of money, but also a loss of time, productivity, sales and even lives.

How many assets can you afford to lose and who wants to waste time counting them anyway?

This is why major organizations including Agrium, Bechtel, Caterpillar, Certified Rentals, BC Hydro, Dow Chemical, Ford Motor Company, Hertz Equipment Rental, Petro-Canada and Trans-Alta Utilities have used HOUNDware’s products and services.

HOUNDware attributes its success to a dedicated 11-person team, unique full-solution product and exceptional customer service, both before and after the sale.

HOUNDware does what many companies only talk about. It puts out a customer survey, continually solicits customer feedback and acts upon the results. It strives to know what it has done done right and where it can improve, working closely with clients to develop new products and enhancements.

Each new version of a product is a result of client input. Clients are also kept informed with a monthly e-mail.

As for the future, Perry says, HOUNDware is working on perfecting microchip-embedded ID tags, for those environments where traditional bar codes are impractical.

Web Watch:
www.houndware.com