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NEW TRANPORT TECH LOWERS RISKS, INCREASES PROFITS
Supply chain management gets smart. FBY CHRIS AUMAN
rom farm fields to retail bins, reducing shrink and maxi- mizing freshness along the cold chain are constant challenges. Fortunately, there are tools that provide real time informa- tion to improve transportation logistics at every mile. The increased use and affordability of GPS tracking and tempera-
ture recording devices give stakeholders control and help them meet market demands.
PASSIVE AND ACTIVE TECH
There are several types of devices that are either removable or built into trailers to help track location and temperature of loads. A transferable device, such as a temperature recorder, is
removable, accessible and low-cost, but it does not
provide real-time data. A GPS device may track
location but not temperature. Integrated devices are
not as common and cost more but offer delivery of
real-time temperature and location information to
the cloud where it can be monitored. Depending
on the needs of the customer, these devices, or a
combination thereof, will be the future of transpor-
tation logistics.
ABOVE PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLEN LUND COMPANY BELOW PHOTO COURTESY OF EMERSON COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL SOLUTIONS
think. “I would not call it the standard,” says Roger Niebolt, sales manager, Cargo Data Corporation, based in Ventura, CA. “It’s certainly an option that’s had increasing interest in the past couple years, but there’s still a fairly noticeable price gap between the cost of a traditional or what I would call a conventional data logging
EXCEPTION OR RULE
Temperature monitors and GPS tracking are not new, but their use is not as widespread as one might
Emerson’s
tracking
monitors
can provide information on highly sensitive cargo in real time.
temperature recorder as opposed to a real-time device.” Although price is a factor, some produce products simply require less monitoring than others, so temperature control becomes less crit- ical. “Berries are a prime example of that,” says Niebolt, “but if you’re looking at something like squash, there’s much less interest in that level of monitoring.”
Amy Childress, vice president marketing and planning, Cargo Solutions, Emerson Commer- cial & Residential Solutions, Boise, ID, sees the use of real-time tracking vary by product, as well. “Many suppliers with highly sensitive cargo, like berries, have embraced real-time monitoring in their supply chains,” she says. “They are willing
to invest and implement more robust tracking systems. Other companies with perishable prod- ucts that are not as sensitive continue to imple- ment temperature, monitoring programs with logger technologies.”
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