R I P P L E S - F M S

Ripples-FMS IoT in logistics management - ready to deploy Bluetooth Low energy solutions for asset inventory, cold chain, truck monitoring in supply chain

IoT in supply chain

IoT inventory tags in logistics management. Industry best practices can help in reducing theft of fuel, asset inventory, workshop spares. Apart from effective monitoring of cold chain traceability, warehouse workflow, forklift tracking, storage utilisation, equipment rental, returnable assets,  tyre tracking to implement use of IoT in logistics. These are easy to deploy solutions which are hosted on the cloud with options of online and onsite installation and training. Save 1000’s of dollars by effectively tracking asset inventory in the logistics transportation industry.

IoT in logistics management and Use cases

Tyre Monitoring with IoT in Logistics Management

IoT in logistics management – Replacement of new tires with old ones in between the transportation of goods from one destination to another is common in freight forwarding. Challenges in monitoring these events cause freight forwarding companies to lose their quality assets and money. 

Fuel theft monitoring

Stealing fuel from the tank truck and the vehicle itself in small quantities is quite often and monitoring these activities is very challenging. These can lead manufacturers and transport companies to lose their revenue and credibility.  Third party fuel level sensors integration can be used to detect fuel theft. These sensors will communicate with fixed readers. Any deviation from the required fuel quantity will be notified to authorities. In addition to this, lid opening can be detected using IoT mag sensors. Whenever the fuel lid is opened without authorization, it can be notified. This will enhance security measures to prevent fuel theft. Subjective to the type of fuel and container type, appropriate sensors and safety measures need to be addressed.

Door open/close detection using IoT in supply chain

The container door can be opened at the time of loading and unloading under authorized supervision.  Any door opened/closed by an unauthorized person needs to be detected. Using IoT sensors and fixed readers, we can easily detect doors open/close. The mag sensor and the magnet will be attached to the container door adjacent to each other.

An authorized person can be assigned with an inventory tag and it can be correlated with a mag sensor ID. Whenever a person without a tag opens the door, the magnet and sensor will be apart and data will be triggered to the fixed reader kept inside the container. Timely notifications will be sent to concerned authorities.

Warehouse Inventory tracking with IoT in logistics management

Supply chain warehouses and distribution centers have a tremendous amount of inventory. It will contain high-value assets as well as low-value assets. The management of this inventory is very important to run seamless business operations. Bluetooth Low Energy devices provides the ability to scan using inventory tags in bulk rather than having to individually scan each item one by one. It also allows for the collection of data throughout traditional warehouse and distribution operations.
 

BLE inventory tags can be tagged with each item in the asset inventory tracking process and can be identified using handheld or fixed readers. Fixed readers can be placed at inventory area doors which enable automatic identification of each item or in bulk while passing through.

Equipment rental monitoring

IoT in logistics – Construction equipment/machinery like JCB, and excavator will be given as rental, and monitoring the utilization of this machinery is very important as there can be manipulation in quoting the working hours. Improper utilization or manipulation of quotations can end in a heavy loss of money for the rental companies.  technology can be used for monitoring the utilization of heavy rental machinery and ensuring proper usage, and preventing manipulation.

Goods Management with inventory tags

Most dealers and manufacturers want to know how their goods are handled during transportation, loading, and unloading. Rough use of goods may cause damage and even become not usable. This may cause manufacturers to reimburse money to dealers and leads to a loss of revenue. Impact sensors can be utilized to know the condition of goods, and how they are handled throughout the transit. Each impact will be recorded and transmitted to readers. These data can be analyzed and can be provided to dealers as well for increasing credibility.

Workforce/asset tracking

IoT in logistics supply chain – Managing and locating important assets is a key challenge for almost any business. Time spent searching for critical equipment can lead to expensive delays or downtime, missed deadlines and customer commitments, and wasted labor. Companies have traditionally addressed this problem by managing assets using serial numbers and spreadsheets, or tracking equipment with barcode labels.

However, both of these methods require a significant amount of manual labor. One way to quickly improve asset management is by utilizing Bluetooth technology to automatically track those assets. Fixed readers can be placed at areas to be monitored and can be converted as zones. Whenever the tagged asset comes to the reader’s vicinity, automatic identification will happen and location can be easily monitored. By defining zones, we can prevent unauthorized access as well. The same technology can be utilized for workforce tracking as well.

Cold chain monitoring in supply chain

Improper temperature control is the key reason why food or other perishable cargo is spoiled or wasted in the supply chain. This will lead manufacturers to reimburse the money to dealers. Thus, maintaining an ideal temperature throughout the transportation is very important. For this IoT temperature sensors can be used. Temperature sensors will be placed inside the cold storage container to continuously monitor environmental conditions. Cellular fixed readers will also be placed inside the unit, which has inbuilt cold chain traceability technology.

GPS that enables real-time location monitoring. Any deviation from the ideal temperature will trigger an alert and the concerned authority can take necessary actions. In case of any cellular failure, the temperature sensor logs the data internally and will be automatically loaded when the internet is available.

Returnable assets monitoring

IoT in logistics – Many assets are returned in a closed loop supply chain like containers, bins, pallets, and even kegs. As part of the life cycle of the asset, it is returned back from a point of use. Being able to understand the location, the asset as well as where it is along the lifecycle is essential for businesses. Bluetooth provides the ability to quickly account for asset locations as well as simplify business transactions associated with the management of the assets.

Bluetooth fixed readers placed at the inventory door can be used to identify and locate each Bluetooth labeled item automatically. This will lead to proper management of assets, reduced human intervention, improved productivity, and seamless business operations.

Call Ripples-FMS to know more about easy to deploy solutions of IoT in supply chain, warehouse inventory tracking, logistics management, fleet tyre management, and warehouse inventory tags.