Kyoto Tool Co., Ltd. (KTC) is exhibiting nepros ID, a revolutionary line of IoT-connected tools, at MRO Americas 2024 in Chicago from April 9, 2024. Jointly developed with leading industrial RFID tag manufacturer Xerafy Singapore Pte Ltd. (Xerafy), this groundbreaking series is set to transform tool management in the aerospace and MRO industries.

MRO Industry and Development Background

With demand for ever higher safety standards in industries such as aircraft manufacturing and MRO, companies are under increasing pressure to enhance their systems for maintaining, repairing and inspecting equipment while also enhancing efficiency. KTC has worked to create products that support management systems to meet various work site needs. This includes developing tools designed to be equipped with RFID tags from the manufacturing stage. Used in combination with readers and software, this solution enables digitalization of information regarding individual tools, helping to reduce tool loss and support tool searches, real time work management, and task logging.

IoT-based Tool Management

IoT-based tool management helps to prevent tool loss, enhance tool deployment efficiency and ensure alignment with compliance requirements in various industries.

However, the conventional prevailing approach of retrofitting RFID tags to existing tools leads to difficulty reading tags on tools stored at different orientations or stacked on top of each other. As a result, enhancing readability was a major issue to be addressed.

KTC worked with RFID tag manufacturer Xerafy to overcome these challenges through the joint development of nepros ID, the world’s first RFID-equipped tools with omnidirectional readability.

This design is a vast leap forward in readability, enhancing performance when searching for and identifying tools in addition to improving durability, extending reading distances and raising the accuracy of processes such as batch scanning. These benefits support more effective foreign object debris (FOD) prevention.

A Product Lineup for MRO Professionals

From small sockets to wrenches, screwdrivers and hammers, the nepros ID lineup features tools for industries including aerospace, aircraft MRO, nuclear power, railways, shipbuilding, automobiles and manufacturing, making MRO work safer and easier in various fields.

KTC will continue its development of RFID-equipped tools and other IoT- and software-based solutions in order to deliver safety, usability, performance and efficiency for the betterment of society.