Maximise ROI through effective RFID Project Management

1
Maximise ROI through effective RFID Project
Management

• Alfio Grasso
• Deputy Director, Auto-ID Lab, Adelaide

2
Overview

• RFID Basic Concepts Components
• Review some RFID case studies
• RFID Standards
• Essentials in developing a business case for RFID
  project management
• Best methods for implementing RFID
• Roadmap to success
• Key Learnings
• Auto-ID Lab, Adelaide
• Conclusions

3
RFID Basic Concepts Components
4
RFID

• Radio Frequency Identification
• Automatic Data Capture
• Uses RF to communicate
• Basic Elements
• Tags
• Readers/Antennas
• Host CPU

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Host CPU

• Application
• Do something with the tag information
• Potential to generate massive amounts of data
• Once installed it costs virtually NOTHING to read
  a tag!
• Real time data gt real time decisions
• OHIO (Zero Human Involvement Operations)
• Term defined by John Greaves, CHEP International

6
RFID Case Studies
Non Supply Chain Applications
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Electronic Toll Collection
8
Extended Read Range
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Vehicle ID, Sugar Industry
Photos courtesy of Mirrabooka Systems
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Steel Production
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Hot-Axle Detection and RFID
Photo courtesy of Sugar Research Institute
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Location ID
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Location ID
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Industrial Waste Management
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Domestic Waste Management
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Manufacturing
Photo taken at Hendersons Automotive Technologies
Pty Ltd
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Library
Photos courtesy of the National Library Board
Singapore
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Warehouse Management
Photo taken at Carlton United Beverages
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Warehouse Management
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Paper Roll Identification
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Vehicle Manufacture
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Why Now!

• Recent improvements in tag and reader technology
• Better performance
• Easier deployment and maintenance
• Better use of existing infrastructure and
  technologies
• Improvements in tag and reader manufacturing
• Cheaper tags and readers
• Industry standardisation
• EPCglobal and ISO

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Standards

• EPCglobal
• ISO
• Regulatory

Skip to Essentials
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EPCglobal Specifications

• http//www.epcglobalinc.org/standards/
• EPC Tag Data Standard, V1.3
• EPC Tag Data Translation Standard, V1.0
• Class 1 Generation 2 UHF Air Interface Protocol
  Standard V1.0.9 "Gen 2
• Class1 Gen2 Conformance, V1.0
• Reader Protocol (RP) Standard, V1.1
• Reader Management (RM) Standard, V1.0
• Application Level Events (ALE) Standard, V1.0
• Object Naming Service (ONS) Standard, V1.0
• EPCglobal Certificate Profile Standard, V1.0
• Drug Pedigree Standard, V1.0

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Best Practice

• Recommended Occupational Use Best Practices for
  Complying with Limits on Human Exposure to
  Electromagnetic Fields (EMF)
• http//www.epcglobalinc.org/public/bestpractice/EP
  Cglobal_Best_Practices_January_2007.pdf
• EPCglobal Information Paper on Health Science
  Aspects of RFID
• http//www.epcglobalinc.org/apps/org/workgroup/sub
  scriber/download.php/6711/latest/EMF20Information
  20Paper20Jan202007.pdf

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ISO Standards

• 18000 Air Interface Protocols for Item Management
• 125-134 kHz (ISO 18000-2)
• 13.56 MHz or HF (ISO 18000-3)
• 433 MHz (ISO 18000-7)
• 860 to 960 MHz or UHF (ISO 18000-6)
• Includes EPCglobal C1G2 V1.1.0 as 6TC
• 2.45 GHz (ISO 18000-4)
• 5.8 GHz (no ISO standard)
• Many other application, data, management
  standards that apply to RFID

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Regulatory Standards

• Up to date information available from
• http//www.epcglobalinc.org/tech/freq_reg/RFID_at_
  UHF_Regulations_20070225.pdf

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Map of the ITU regions
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ITU Region 3 (Asia)

• Singapore
• 866-869 MHz 0.5W ERP 920-925 2W ERP (licence)
• Australia
• 918 - 926 MHz 1W EIRP
• 920 926 MHz 4W EIRP
• Experimental
• Strict conditions apply
• Elsewhere in Asia
• Generally follow CEPT some exceptions below
• New Zealand 864 - 868 MHz 4W EIRP
• China 917 to 922 2W ERP
• Hong Kong 865-868 2W ERP 920-925 4W EIRP
• Japan 952 - 954 MHz 4W EIRP (licensed)
• Malaysia 919-923 MHz, 2W ERP
• South-Korea 910 914 MHz
• Taiwan 922-928 1W ERP (indoor) 0.5W (outdoor)

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European Recommendation

• Draft ETSI TR 102 436 Technical Report
• Electromagnetic compatibility and Radio spectrum
  Matters (ERM)
• Installation and commissioning of RFID systems
  operating at UHF

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AIM RFID Emblem

• AIM Global's RFID Experts Group (REG)
• Visual aid to workers
• Help find and identify the presence (and type) of
  RFID tag in a label, tag or item.
• Also identify compatible printer/encoders and
  readers
• http//www.aimglobal.org/standards/RFIDEmblem/

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Essentials in developing a business case for RFID
project management

• Top 10 Issues

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10 - Definition

• Define your RFID implementation metrics
• Compliance
• Reduce Inventory
• Stock Visibility
• Reduce Costs
• Increase asset utilisation
• Reduce shrinkage
• Reduce/eliminate shipping errors
• Consider existing infrastructure
• Vendors
• Customers

10
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Business case ROI

• Create a cross functional team
• Senior Executives from manufacturing, operations,
  packaging, warehouse management, security and
  finance
• Educate the Team
• Real RFID performance and expectations
• Leverage the data, both internally amongst
  operational departments, but eventually with
  outside trading partners

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Source The Road to ROI, RFID Journal Mar 2005
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Business case ROI Cont

• Identify the problems and opportunities
• Resolve issues
• Change to processes, packaging etc
• Define the scope of the RFID deployment
• Concentrate on which macro-level problem will
  deliver the most benefits to the organisation
• List factors within the companys control that
  contribute to that macro-level problem
• Narrow the scope, maybe by region, department or
  area.
• Consider pallet level rather than case or item

10
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Business case ROI Cont

• Analyse operations and processes
• Itemise the business processes, quantifying
  processes
• Breakdown all processes, not just the clearly
  inefficient ones
• Prioritise Projects
• Could end up with 5 to 7 RFID projects
• Can the same RFID infrastructure be used for more
  than 1 project?
• Related projects most likely to deliver results

10
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Business case ROI Cont

• Assess financial impact
• Benefits as well as costs
• Tag and Reader costs
• Installation (power, comms, antenna
  infrastructure)
• Operational Costs
• Impact of other projects
• Other projects may add to the benefits and yet
  reduce costs

10
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9 - Solution Providers

• Evaluate Solution Providers
• Tag Manufacturers
• Reader Manufactures
• IT infrastructure
• Installation
• Commissioning
• Maintenance
• Upgrades

9
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8 - IT Impacts RF Issues

• IT System impacts
• Interface to existing system, or new system!
• Accuracy of that data
• Accumulation of much more data
• Decision processes with that data, making the
  data USEFUL!

8
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RF Issues

• RFID issues in your environment
• RF Interference
• LAN, Other RFID Readers, EMI, Bluetooth, 802.11
• Metal
• Moisture
• Allow time for experimentation
• Expansion
• Scope creep or leverage
• Duplication

8
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RF Issues Cont

• RFID Design
• Hardware Systems
• Fixed or portable RFID readers?
• Portable not OHIO (that is not automatic)!
• Business processes
• Simulation?
• RFID Friendly Assets
• As infrastructure is upgraded plan on using RF
  friendly assets, even if not implementing RFID

8
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Gillette Fusion Launch
EPC used in EPC-enabled stores to help ensure
perfect retail execution to coincide with 2006
Super Bowl launch

• The first new product packaging designed to be
  EPC-friendly

8
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7 - Purchase/Deploy/Integrate

• Equipment Supply
• Development
• Manufacture lead times
• Engineering work and preparation
• Deployment of infrastructure
• Readers and Antennas
• IT Systems
• Ancillary equipment

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Purchase/Deploy

• Tags
• Supply
• Initialisation (EPC code and data)
• Database update
• Installation
• Verification
• Training
• Employees, Managers, IT development

7
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Integration

• Integration into IT systems
• Database design
• Scalability
• New/Existing
• Interim period
• Exceptions, when no tag applied!
• Evaluation of performance
• Fine adjustments
• Upgrade path

7
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Integration Cont

• Other partners
• Suppliers
• Customers
• Competitors
• Finally Rollout
• Duplicate (other sites, divisions)
• Expand (RFID applications)
• Leverage (RFID infrastructure)

7
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6 - Assessment Criteria

• Range of Hardware
• Tags, Readers, Volume, Vendors, Standards,
  Frequency, Host platforms, Ancillary equipment,
  Upgrades, Expansion
• Range of IT Solutions
• Integration into legacy systems
• Privacy
• Expansion
• Services
• Global or Local
• Site Inspection, Design, Installation,
  Commissioning, Maintenance
• Partner networks (hardware, middleware)

6
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Assessment Criteria Cont

• Relevant experience in your industry
• Testing
• ISO 18047-X Conformance Test Methods
• ISO 18046 Performance Test Methods
• EPCglobal (Gen 2 V1.0.2) Conformance Test Methods
• EPCglobal Certification
• Vendor test Facility
• Testing your products in your installation(s)
• Development/Customisation
• Tags and Readers, ancillary sensors
• Packaging, Cost, IP issues
• Maintenance

6
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5 - Reader Tag Issues

• Reader location is important, but local
• Antenna
• Tunnel/Portal (multiple antennas)
• Circular Vs Linear
• Host Interface, online
• Remote restart
• Alarm/alerts/Heartbeat
• Self diagnostic tests
• Upgrades

5
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Location Location Location

• Tag location will be crucial for performance
• Want global use for product/tag life
• Optimal location for RF Tag may not be the same
  as the location for a human readable tag/label
• Consider composition of the object
• If lots of metal, then look for gaps!
• Metal surface can be used to extend the read
  range (?/4 separation)
• Life time environmental exposure

5
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Location
5
Photos courtesy of RFID Journal
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Courtesy Auto-Id Lab Cambridge
5
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4 - Process flow

• Consider a change to the process flow
• How package is handled, stored and pallet stacked
• Change packaging to be RFID friendly
• Test tag after application
• Metal, moisture, damage
• Consider alternative technologies/methods to get
  100 reads
• Process when items are Single units
• Aggregation/Association

4
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Read as single items
4
Source RFID Learning RFID Learnings Wal Wal-Mart
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Association/Verification at stretch-wrap
4
Source Supply Chain improvement through
EPC/RFID- DHL/Deutsche Post
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3 - Data

• RFID data
• Once installed, no real additional cost to read a
  tag
• Sensor data
• Temperature, Weight, etc
• Middleware (Savants) filters/concentrators
• RFID enabled enterprise applications
• Database maintenance
• Legacy data
• Accuracy of data
• Exchange data with partners
• Vendors and Customers
• UCCnet Global Registry
• Scalable

3
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2 - The Human Touch

• Privacy
• Establish a privacy committee
• Consider all users, employees, contractors,
  customers, vendors, supply chain personnel
• 4 Principles
• Notice
• Choice
• Access
• Security
• Employees
• Explanation
• Efficiency, bottom line benefits
• Training

2
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TOP Issue - Champion

• Approval from the TOP
• Realistic Expectations
• Start small but think big
• Small enable fine adjustments (experiment)
• Big so as to leverage RFID throughout the
  business
• Dont oversell
• External/Internal expertise
• Partner with both suppliers and customers
• Possible change to business processes
• Other infrastructure
• Sensors, EAS, anti-counterfeit, engineering
• Periodic assessment

1
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RFID Learnings

• Skip to Auto-ID Lab, ADELAIDE

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Redundancy

• Redundancy
• Two independent readers per booth
• Confidence in up-time
• Heart Beat, every 2 seconds
• Reliability
• Ability to read internal tag, iff antenna port
  terminated in 50 ohm load (i.e. it is still
  connected)
• Firmware upgradeable
• Reflection
• Large trucks and busses reflect RF beam, skew
  into adjacent lane
• Discriminate replies based on received signal
  strength
• Reduce maximum power output
• Interference (Multiple Readers)
• Used a time based multiplexer to assign Tx
  windows for each independent reader

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Lightening

• This application in tropics
• Lightening hits very common
• Antenna buried between tracks
• RF Lightening arrestors placed inline with BOTH
  antenna connections, inside stainless-steel
  enclosure, well earthed
• RF protection also installed on host connection
  (which was a serial line)

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Is ground connected?

• RF earth and Comms earth should be tied, at one
  point.
• COMMS was intermittent, because no separate comms
  earth was provided between the remote RFID reader
  and the host CPU in a building some metres away.
  The comms earth was actually earth, on hot dry
  days, its impedance would be so high, that a
  significant potential was developed across the
  two earths!

63
Vibration and Electricity Discharge

• Vibration
• This application had both high vibration and high
  electric discharge
• Ensure mounting of RFID reader is such that all
  components with large momentum are orientated so
  as to minimise vibration fatigue.
• Any large momentum devices fixed to mounting
  chassis
• Glue, maybe additional fastening
• Removable ICs (in those days UTC timers and
  EEPROM device), physically locked into sockets
• Electricity Discharge
• Use lightening protection on all comms and RF
  leads to antennas
• Use lightening protection on all power supply
  leads.

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Eddy Currents

• Although this application called for tags to be
  mounted on metal, the RFID installer, used a
  metal ring to hold the tag in place.
• Unfortunately the metal ring was at the same
  plane as the RFID tag, that was inside the
  plastic package
• A small 10mm slot was cut in the ring, and full
  read range was achieved.

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Reflections

• Not shown in this photo is the reader
• Even though the tags were spaced some 1.5 m
  apart, the large read range of the UHF reader,
  and the metal (moulds, machinery, etc),
  multi-path reads were obtained.
• The Reader Power was reduced, and in addition a
  metal screen was installed around the reader
  antenna, to limit the beamwidth.
• Some chicken wire, about 350 mm in diameter and
  about 450 mm in length was used to limit those
  side reads
• The reader antenna was approximately 300 mm in
  diameter

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Shielding

• The two examples shown detail conductive screens,
  installed around read antennas, to either
• A) Stop conveyor cross reads
• B) Protect from interference
• Such screens can also be used to protect the read
  environment from a noisy environment, as can
  sometime be obtained with electric motors, which
  are used on some conveyor systems

Photo courtesy of RFID Journal
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Library
Photos courtesy of the National Library Board
Singapore
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Stray HF Fields

• At HF magnetic field must travel from the reader
  antenna to the tag and back to the reader antenna
  in an unbroken path.
• Looking at the centre station, one could envisage
  HF fields emanating from the antenna, and going
  in ever increasing circles.
• Unfortunately, the HF reader could read the tags
  on both adjacent mats. The mats did not contain
  the antenna, that is below the bench top.
• In order to stop the extended read range, each
  antenna had metal sides (initially made from
  alfoil) which extended past the antenna by 100
  mm, and located about 100 mm from each antenna
  dimension.
• This had the result that any RF field that may
  stray on the top side to the adjacent mat, while
  it may have energised the tag, its reply, after
  diverting around the metallic shields was so weak
  that it could be discriminated against, and
  eliminated.

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RF Friendly

• Both photos show a UHF antenna enclosed in a
  metal box for physical protection
• Sometimes from the environment
• Sometime for protection against criminal activity
• The issue is that some space is required around
  the antenna
• The first one limits the read range, while the
  second one has the metal box approximately 100mm
  away from the antenna, and presents little
  performance degradation
• Always plan upgrades with RFID in mind

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Neatness Counts

• The picture shows a UHF antenna with a reader
  mounted behind.
• This installation was in an underground mine, and
  the electrician did not terminate the power and
  communication cables, but instead just looped
  them around the antenna.
• The resulting eddy currents, severely limited the
  performance.

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Adelaide, Auto-ID Lab
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The Auto-ID Laboratories
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Auto-ID Labs

• One of 7 Auto-ID Labs around the world
• MIT, USA
• Cambridge, UK
• Adelaide, Australia
• Keio, Japan
• Fudan, China
• St Gallen, Switzerland
• ICU, Korea

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Research Projects

• The design of cost effective and small footprint
  tag antennas, suitable for attachment onto metal
  surfaces.
• Interference studies in high density reader
  environments.
• Electromagnetic propagation studies applicable to
  European Regulations
• High security authentication tags
• One Time Codes
• Elliptic Curve Cryptography
• Shrinking Functions

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Contract Research

• Separate from the EPCglobal funded work
• Commercial Infrastructure
• Adelaide Research Innovation Pty Ltd
• Intellectual Property Protection
• Pork CRC Research Contract
• Joint Strike Fighter

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Conclusion

• RFID Automatic Data Capture
• RFID is about management
• Multitude of Standards
• Plan to Succeed (Top 10)
• 10 - Define (scope)
• 9 - Solution Providers
• 8 - Impacts (RF and IT)
• 7 - Purchase/Deploy
• 6 - Assessments
• 5 - Reader Tag Issues
• 4 - Processes
• 3 - Data
• 3 - Privacy
• 1 - Champion

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Key Learnings

• Redundancy
• Infrastructure
• Environment Installation Practices
• Lightning, vibration, electricity discharge, eddy
  currents, shielding, reflections, stray fields,
  RF friendly assets, neatness, temporary
  structures, hidden traps
• Auto-ID Lab, source of assistance

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Start Today!
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Thank You
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Questions
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Further Information

• Alfio Grasso
• Deputy Director
• Auto-ID Lab, Adelaide
• University of Adelaide
• Web autoidlab.eleceng.adelaide.edu.au/
• Email alf_at_eleceng.adelaide.edu.au
• Ph 61-8- 8303 6473
• Mob 61 402 037 968