5 ways IoT trackers can save your ass(et)
The biggest challenge with these load units is losing track of them. But they are essential to our core operations, which is why it’s key to know where they are and ensure we have the right number at the right place and time.
Tina Ziemek, Director, DHL Group IoT Platform Strategy, Product, and Partner Management
1. Long-term asset tracking at scale
We co-developed a long-lasting asset tracking solution with Alps Alpine, which runs on the Sigfox IoT data network. Batteries in the trackers last up to seven years, even when sending multiple location updates daily to connected hotspots in warehouses. The long lifespan reduces costs and makes the solution easier to scale.
2. Avoiding shortages and reducing waste
A shortage of roller cages hurts business in several ways. If there aren’t enough of these load units, then we can’t keep the goods moving. Either that or more expensive load carriers, such as cardboard pallet boxes, must be used. That increases costs and waste. Reusing roller cages is the more environmentally friendly option. Trackers can identify underused assets – detecting “high dwell times” – and flagging them as potentially available for use. This helps an operation determine whether they are utilizing their existing roller cages fully before purchasing new ones.
3. Preventing loss or theft
Assets go missing – it’s a fact of life in enormous, multi-purpose warehouses or distribution centers. And theft can be an issue. So, while trackers allow you to keep an eye on your assets, they can also help you find misplaced items or recover them if they’ve been stolen. For example, if an asset tracker stops transmitting, it could be a technical issue or an indicator of theft. With the “last seen location” provided by the tracking solution, there’s a better chance of finding the missing assets and either fixing technical issues or recovering them if they’ve been stolen. Preventing roller cage loss can save tens of thousands of euros across the supply chain.
4. Auditing usage
After deploying one asset tracking solution, we noticed a lot of roll containers going from one country to another. Upon investigation, we learned that a customer decided to outsource its e-commerce returns process to that country and use our roller cages to transport them. This mystery would have been much more difficult to solve without the trackers.
Customers may be unaware that they’ve collected too many roller cages in other cases. We use the reports generated by the asset trackers to flag this and recover those assets for redeployment elsewhere. We now use the technology to identify specific customer needs and use that information to improve the logistics flow of roller cages.
5. Monitoring other systems
Asset tracking solutions work by repeatedly pinging connected access points within warehouses. If a group of trackers in a particular warehouse fails to check in, it could indicate a network issue. Even though the problem may not be directly related to that group of items, the asset tracking system can flag it for further investigation.
Why go looking for the latest logistics stories and insights when you can have them delivered right to you?
With the trackers, we can better detect specific customer needs and have a conversation with them about how we can improve the logistics flow of assets.
Stephan Strang, Digital Transformation, eCommerce Solutions Netherlands
Published: December 2023
