Where is my cargo?
This is the most frequently asked question in the transport and logistics sector. Every day, fordwarders, shippers and recipients spend time on the phone chasing their consignments. An unassuming little box is now expected to change all that.
THE BPW INNOVATION LAB TEACHES CARGOES TO SPEAK.
The ‘internet of transport’ is the name coined for the drive to create transparency throughout the logistical supply chain. It is in this context that BPW develops solutions to interconnect the data generated throughout the transport chain, from the shipper to the recipient. For a long time now, telematics systems have been facilitating the seamless monitoring of commercial vehicles, but less than 15 percent of trailers carry the relevant equipment at the moment. Shippers therefore receive very little useful information about the whereabouts and condition of their consignments. From the time of dispatch, cargoes disappear into no-man’s land until – it is hoped – their receipt is acknowledged at the destination. In the intervening period, silence prevails. The BPW Innovation Lab has addressed this situation by creating the innovative
tracker BPW CargoTracer – the device is directly attached to the pallet or package and transmits information concerning the location and condition of the goods. Now, for the first time, cargoes can be tracked economically and transparently while they are in transit, and dovetailed with merchandise management and ERP systems.
INFORMATION THAT BOLSTERS CUSTOMERS’ SUCCESS.
One of the first customers to test the BPW CargoTracer when making deliveries was thyssenkrupp Materials Processing Europe, the specialist processor of steel and non-ferrous metals. According to Wilhelm Budéus, the managing director in charge of the company’s branch in Krefeld,
“The aim of our supply chain management is always to deliver the goods to our customers just in time. It is therefore essential to know the whereabouts of the cargo at all times, and the tracker gives us the full transparency we need.”
He continues, “The information enables us to bolster our customers’ success by offering them a high level of production planning certainty.” He regards direct customer involvement, coupled with prompt trials in real applications, as a recipe for success when such innovations are being developed. Only a few months elapsed between initial talks with the BPW Innovation Lab and the first use of the BPW CargoTracer in everyday transport operations.
ULTRA-NARROWBAND RADIO MAKES THE BPW CARGOTRACER ULTRA-EFFICIENT.
The BPW Innovation Lab identified Sigfox as the ideal partner for transforming its tracker concept into technical reality. The French company has developed a technology that allows data captured by sensors to be transferred to the Cloud – a network for inexpensively and securely transporting small quantities of data.
“Collecting, processing and provisioning relevant data is one of the principal challenges facing the transport industry,”
comments Vincent Sabot, Vice President Europe O&O of Sigfox. “We guarantee the functionality of the network required to address this need.” Ultra-narrowband gives access to entirely new forms of interconnectivity. The BPW Innovation Lab has therefore adopted this innovative technology with a view to harnessing future potential as well.
