Supply Chain Asset Tracking for Production Logistics

For better or worse, we live in a complex, global world. No industry represents this complexity better than logistics and transportation. Most modern goods travel thousands of miles, changing hands half a dozen times or more, before they reach their final destinations.

In this complex landscape, missteps along the supply chain are unavoidable. No matter how solid the logistics network for a particular asset, at some point a truck will get stuck in traffic, a crate will be delayed at a warehouse, or an asset will go missing altogether. With traditional supply chain management solutions, logistics managers often do not find out about delayed or misrouted assets until those assets arrive hours late — or not at all — at their destinations. These hours translate into lost productivity, delayed production and damaged client relationships.

The logistics industry needs a way to pinpoint the location of assets in real time, as they travel along worldwide transportation routes. If a negative event occurs, early intervention could significantly reduce losses further down the supply chain. But when it comes to visualizing mobile assets, traditional technology falls short. 

Representing the latest in IoT technology, smart logistics solutions have the power to transform the modern supply chain as we know it. For the first time, the industry can visualize and manage critical goods in with the most cost-effective solution for logistics:

• 100% process orientation. You can flexibly create current processes, locations and KPIs.     
• Cost-effective scaling of resolution and bandwidth — you decide what you need for your processes.     
• Localization indoor and outdoor in a wide radio network (over 60 countries) — connection without any additional infrastructure.     
• Lowest TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) in the market even for small quantities.     
• Highly secure communication (outside the 2.4 GHz band).     
• Robust and industrial proven devices (CE, IP67, IP68).     
• Years of operating life time (up to 10 years).     
• High user-friendliness and easy integration into company IT.     
• Future-proof LPWAN technologies. 

Real-time asset tracking streamlines field operations and reduces delay costs

With smart logistics solutions, the logistics manager can now see his entire workflow in a single glance. He can watch assets in real time or dig deeper into the data on a single asset. And he can do this at any time, from anywhere. Now, when a question about a component arises, he does not need to spend hours on the phone, trying to connect with on-the-ground personnel. With his app dashboard acting as a virtual control tower, he can answer that question with the click of a button. If any component requires special handling or temperature control, geolocation capabilities can be coupled with transportation condition monitoring for added value. Now, a manager is also alerted if an asset falls outside a predetermined temperature range, or receives unexpected vibrations or shocks.

Logistics and transportation industry looks FOR INNOVATIVE NEW technology

From a user perspective, smart logistics solutions are fairly straightforward to deploy. A small, battery-powered smart tracking device is securely mounted onto a container, truck or wagon carrying goods. Once mounted, the device collects real-time information about the exact location of those goods at any point along the supply chain and securely transmits that information through Sigfox’s global IoT network. The information can be aggregated on a customized app platform or connected directly to a company’s existing Logistic Information System. Unlike most first-generation smart devices, objects that connect to the Sigfox network do not rely on WiFi or 4G, so connectivity is never an issue, regardless of where an asset travels. Each device is plug and play, so no pairing or infrastructure is required and devices can be transferred as needed from one asset to another. The level of data that these intelligent devices are able to collect and organize is unprecedented. A logistics manager can now pull up his app dashboard at any time to see up-to-the-minute information about the exact location of an asset, the speed at which it is moving, and its estimated arrival time based on current travel conditions. And when an asset does arrive at a location, automated time and date stamps replace the need to scan RFID/barcodes altogether.

Reduces inefficiencies and delivers better insights that improve client service levels

Receive better insights and improve client service levels to create a lean supply chain with constant improvements. It is one thing to quickly address problems, but the true goal is to plan ahead and correct issues before they ever occur. Smart logistics solutions allow companies to evaluate and improve their supply chain networks with an unprecedented level of accuracy. The staggering amount of information about transportation routes, warehouse delays and network gaps acts as a complete audit trail, giving companies all of the data they need to analyze and repair inefficiencies in their supply chains. As our global economy becomes even more complex and interconnected, the logistics and transportation industry must be at the forefront of innovation, helping create a roadmap for success. Undoubtedly, smart logistics solutions will remain a powerful ally in this process, giving the industry the tools it needs to remain lean and agile in an ever changing world. 

Learn more here.