How Sensor-Based Logistics Assist In Real-Time Shipment Monitoring

The growing expansion of the global supply chain is driving organizations to improve supply chain reliability to serve customers better.

FREMONT, CA: The growing growth of the global supply chain has prompted businesses to seek new ways to increase efficiency, reduce waste, and improve supply chain dependability to provide a superior customer experience. Sensor-based logistics (SBL) is one method for achieving these goals.

SBL gives complete visibility inside shipments while they are in transit, ensuring they arrive at their destination in the condition anticipated by the client. It is a new logistics model in which many sensors broadcast cargo data to multiple partners, allowing them to interact and adapt to unforeseen circumstances.

Sensor devices determine the present location of the shipment and environmental variables such as temperature, light exposure, relative humidity, and barometric pressure and then wirelessly relay these values to the shipper. The data is displayed, stored, and analyzed by accompanying management software.

KEEPING CUSTOMERS UP TO DATE

SBL enables shippers to set customized, location-based notifications called geofences that notify them when a shipment deviates from its intended route and whether it is scheduled for timely delivery.

SBL can be beneficial to a wide variety of sectors. For instance, healthcare and pharmaceutical organizations that ship products that are extremely difficult or impossible to replace—such as tissue specimens for clinical trials or diagnostic testing—need to monitor these shipments' environmental factors during transit closely. By monitoring variables such as light exposure, temperature, and humidity, an SBL solution may be able to prevent damage to the specimens.

Another situation involving life science is hospitals carrying irreplaceable tissue biopsies and bone marrow samples. Because the samples have 48-hour variability window, timely delivery in the desired condition is critical. Hospitals can receive customized alerts to intervene or redirect a shipment if necessary to preserve the samples based on specified factors.

Additionally, SBL technologies can benefit the aerospace sector, particularly when a plane is rendered Aircraft on Ground (AOG). Repairing missing or delayed parts can result in significant part replacement or emergency delivery expenses. AOG employees equipped with SBL software may actively monitor the location of vital aircraft components as they travel from the point of origin to the point of destination.

Through customer-defined geofences, AOG workers receive continuous location updates and arrival notifications, allowing them to be prepared to reroute the part or hire the necessary personnel to transport it to the plane.

INCREASING THE TIME REQUIRED FOR RECOVERY

Keeping clients informed, however, extends beyond basic product delivery. Users can use intervention services such as re-icing cold chain shipments, inspecting and repackaging damaged items, or contacting law enforcement to chase stolen products by obtaining continuous data while shipments are en route. Rather than reacting to supply chain failures, SBL puts the control in the hands of the management team to prevent these difficulties in the first place.

SBL solutions empower users with the control and information necessary to make informed business decisions and stay ahead of the competition in an ever-changing and fast-paced marketplace. This can result in a greater customer experience and increased business margins.

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