Revolutionizing Supply Chain Transparency with IoT Tracking Technology

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

The introduction of smart sensors and rapid advancements in semiconductor technology has disrupted how we transport goods and maintain cargo integrity. Wireless connectivity, GPS technologies, and varied sensors have all come together in unison to drive unprecedented change in how we consume food, get vaccinated, or have our products delivered. We dive into cold chain monitoring and understand how IoT plays a crucial role in the supply chain world.

Over the years, IoT and IIoT ( Industrial IoT) forecasts have consistently hinted at the growth of devices and potential use cases across industries. IDC forecasts global spending on the Internet of Things (IoT) to stand at US$805.7 billion in 2023, up 10.6% over 2022. While many industries stand to gain from the exponential investments and adoption, Supply chain resilience was highlighted to receive over US 31.6 billion in investments. Industry titans hope these investments will ride on the wave for novel use cases and find traction in areas that are important for the supply chain ecosystem. The recent global pandemic accelerated goods production and supply chain innovation. The use cases spread across production and supply chains and were evident in manufacturing, specifically in the retail, life sciences, healthcare, and transportation industries.

Companies choose to implement various solutions based on IoT to improve efficiency and provide seamless visibility across their entire supply chain. Fast food outlets can monitor whether you are at their premise before they start making your order. In this case, your smartphone is a beacon of your location. Similarly, businesses worldwide tend to bring the same level of real-time monitoring of location and monitor other parameters across their shipping freights, pallets, cargos, and trucks. Consider the shipping and logistics giant Maersk, an early adopter of IoT; Maersk introduced systems that allow its refrigerated containers to be tracked to prevent loss of goods. With this system, the company and its customers can track the reefer’s current geographic position, temperature, and atmospheric conditions inside the container, allowing the ability to monitor and troubleshoot if they stave off disruptions remotely. Maersk engineers can also monitor the power status while the reefer is out on long sea voyages.

“Our customers can now monitor and make decisions about their supply chain as their cargo moves, as well as use the data to study and improve their entire supply chain, particularly for our customers with very sensitive, higher value refrigerated cargo, RCM significantly raises the total value proposition of refrigerated container trade.”

Maersk Line chief commercial officer Vincent Clerc

IoT is finding applications across multiple industries, with a lot of success getting delivered in distribution, asset management, logistics, and supply chain management. A critical component to successful implementation is access to high-quality software running on resilient hardware designed and manufactured under the most stringent quality measures. eelink is a company that stands out in this regard and also has a breadth of devices applicable in various scenarios. The IoT devices include temperature sensors running on Bluetooth, transit monitoring devices, and supply chain visibility trackers, giving the ability to log data on atmospheric conditions and geo-locations. Other devices include a GPS tracker and GPS asset tracking device with ultra-low power standby, allowing tracking for up to 3 years!

There are many types of smart sensors; acoustic sensors determine the intensity and location of audio vibrations. Environmental sensors focus on the surrounding environment and monitor any changes or deviations in the physical state, such as temperature, humidity, color, moisture, light, heat, etc. An interesting use case for a light monitor could be monitoring the inside of a container. Unscheduled and unauthorized access to the container can trigger an event where the ambient light changes due to open-door events. Another sensor type is categorized as motion and force. These sensors are equipped with accelerometers and shock accelerometers capable of measuring shock and tilt. Sensitive electronic equipment requires such monitoring for safe transportation. Such devices allow a multitude of use cases. The following are some of them:

Temperature Monitoring:

Some industries, such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and food industries, must maintain the required temperature range during transportation and storage. According to a report by McKinsey, pharmaceutical companies deploy IoT systems to monitor and take corrective actions through automation to protect temperature-sensitive drugs during transportation.

Humidity Control:

Humidity control is significant in the food and agriculture business. While in transit, produce can degrade quickly if the environment is high in humidity. This leads to the lot getting spoiled and adds to wastage and loss. IoT products that focus on monitoring humidity levels ensure that products like fruits and vegetables are kept fresh throughout the supply chain. The World Health Organization stresses the necessity of humidity control in storing and transporting vaccines.

Location Tracking:

Real-time tracking of packages for better logistics is essential in the Logistics and Retail industry. Deploying smart sensors improves the overall efficiency of the supply chain. It also gives complete visibility into the transport of goods, reducing delays and potential thefts. This use case also finds relevance in retail and e-commerce. DHL employs IoT devices to provide location data in real-time and reports on atmospheric conditions around its containers both inside and outside, which is crucial to its shipments.

Pressure Monitoring:

Although the applicability of pressure monitoring can be in multiple industries, Aviation and Healthcare are the most relevant industries that monitor cargo hold pressure through IoT sensors. Pressure monitoring is critical for such sectors as certain products are susceptible to changes in pressure. These smart sensors ensure that the cargo holds are maintained at a certain pressure to transport products, including vaccines or sensitive medical devices, successfully. This TechTarget report elaborates on the amount of data generated by modern airplanes and how IoT links ground control and a mid-Atlantic flight in real time.

“Today’s aircraft are abundant with Internet of Things (IoT) sensors. The latest generation of aircraft has essentially become a flying network producing vast streams of real-time performance data. In fact, the 787 aircraft transmits 28 times more data in flight than a 777.Sensors monitor temperature, pressure, vibration and other physical performance and environmental measurements, and then stream the data to service and support facilities on the ground.”

TechTarget – How IoT sensors are helping Aviation Industry.

Shock and Tilt Detection:

High-end electronics need an elevated level of care while handling. Recall the boxes with “Handle with care” stickers and “This side Up” messages. While still relevant in advising personnel on how to handle fragile objects. For all their practical purposes, these stickers have been replaced by advanced sensors that can detect events such as shock and tilt, thereby allowing real-time and immediate intervention. Another industry in which such sensors find application is the Fine Arts. Multi-million dollar paintings and ancient antiques worth millions need similar levels of monitoring. This proactive approach minimizes the risk of product damage and loss, particularly in industries where items are valuable or irreplaceable.

These use cases demonstrate the transformative power of IoT in delivering supply chain transparency and cold chain monitoring. These smart sensors are being constantly engineered to tackle the logistics challenges crippling the industry for years. Using these IoT devices not only ensures the integrity of the cargo but also delivers on the compliance regulations for a given industry. Deploying IoT devices eventually delivers quality products to end customers. It improves the business’s overall efficiency, reducing the risk associated with providing a substandard product or, worse, a degraded medical product replete with health hazards.