This is the first article of the series: IoT-Based Asset Tracking.
On this article, we touch on the key benefits of IoT-based asset tracking and how it can enhance operational efficiency through features like real-time monitoring, data collection and automation.
Dive in with our experts’ insight, and explore their perspectives, questions, and answers in this resourceful series.
Go to:
- From a sensor’s perspective, with insight from John Stih, Sensor Specialist at Future Electronics
- From a power perspective, with insight from Paul Schmokel, Analog/Power Specialist at Future Electronics
- From a wireless perspective, with insight from Rick Cartier, Wireless Specialist at Future Electronics.
From a sensors perspective:
Special thanks to John Stih for his valuable collaboration.
In the world of fleet management, IoT-based asset tracking brings countless benefits. One shining example is its crucial role in ensuring the safety of our food before it reaches our plates or even our local supermarkets.
Imagine a world where your food products maintain their freshness from start to finish, no matter the journey. This is where cold chain monitoring comes into play. Cold chain monitoring is a temperature-controlled supply chain that ensures the safe transportation and storage of perishable goods, and its made possible in large thanks to IoT based temperature-monitoring equipment (along with refrigerated storage and specialized transportation methods). This equipment is the guardian of temperatures as it ensures they stay in check without compromise.
IoT sensors do more than just watch the numbers in cold chain monitoring. They’re the frontline protectors of our perishable goods, keeping a vigilant eye on product conditions. New technologies also help enhance efficiency for loading and unloading operations, helping us fine-tune the entire supply chain.
The Heroic Twist: Their role during the battle against COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic, IoT-based asset tracking through the cold chain became our trusted ally in the battle against the virus, playing a vital role in transporting vaccines safely across the world. These technologies played a key role in ensuring that these lifesaving products remained safe and sound, even in the most challenging of times.
The Unseen Linchpin
In these real-world scenarios, IoT-based asset tracking isn’t just a luxury; it’s the linchpin that drives operational efficiency and ensures product quality. It’s what leaves customers smiling, knowing that their goods are in safe hands.
From a power perspective:
Special thanks to Paul Schmokel for his valuable collaboration
When it comes to asset tracking, power is the unsung hero that ensures everything runs smoothly. Tracking your assets such as the perishable goods we mentioned before, without a reliable power source would be impossible, and yet it’s frequently the aspect that gets left for last.
The Battery Power Challenge
Asset tracking often revolves around battery-powered applications, especially in remote locations where power sources are scarce.
Sensors or nodes attached directly to items like food are there to ensure their safety and freshness during transit, yes. However, these sensors don’t have the luxury of plugging into an outlet, so effective battery management becomes paramount. In short, no power, no sensors, no asset tracking.
Minimizing Spoilage, Maximizing Quality
Once you’ve cracked the battery management puzzle, the rewards are substantial. Just as our sensor specialist, John Stih, pointed out, you gain the power (pun intended) to minimize spoilage to an extraordinary degree. This means your products stay fresher for longer, ensuring their quality remains top-notch throughout their journey.
The Lithium Battery Revolution
A significant turning point in this power journey is the evolution of lithium batteries. These compact and efficient powerhouses have revolutionized asset tracking. They’ve extended battery life, providing the longevity needed for effective tracking solutions. Thanks to lithium batteries, asset tracking has taken a giant leap forward.
In the grand scheme of asset tracking, power might not steal the spotlight, but it’s the silent force that makes it all possible. Effective battery management and the rise of lithium batteries have paved the way for enhanced tracking, reduced spoilage, and fresher, higher-quality products.
From a wireless perspective:
Special thanks to Rick Cartier for his valuable collaboration
Wireless connectivity is the bridge that makes IoT-based asset tracking work seamlessly or leaves us in the dark. The fascinating world of connectivity and its evolution is reshaping supply chains not just from the tracking aspect of things, but all the way from manufacturing too.
Connectivity in asset tracking may seem deceptively simple—it either works or it doesn’t. Yet, its significance lies in the ability to seamlessly bridge the gap between devices and systems, a task of critical importance in an increasingly interconnected world.
The Emergence of Cutting-Edge Technologies
Asset tracking is no longer just monitoring pallets and shipping containers. The rapid evolution of technologies like Ultra-Wide Band and concepts like ‘angle of arrival’ and ‘angle of departure’ are taking things to whole new heights.
Imagine a sprawling factory floor where each individual component is tracked in real time. This is now possible thanks to low-latency networks where data flows effortlessly, culminating in a server’s repository of valuable insights.
Unveiling the Manufacturing Revolution
These insights hold the potential to enhance understanding and guide the development process in real time. Consider it a new era of precision manufacturing where informed decisions are made at every step.
The Implications of Real-Time Data
Through these new technologies, precision becomes the norm. Whether we’re tracking assets across vast geographies or monitoring intricate processes within a factory, real-time data and connectivity have taken the driver’s seat. It’s no longer just about location; it’s about harnessing knowledge to steer toward a brighter future.
In a world where connectivity defines success, we find ourselves at the cusp of profound transformation. Technologies like Ultra Wide Band and real-time tracking are not merely enhancements; they represent a revolution that will shape the future of asset tracking and manufacturing.
Before we move on to our second article in the series: Potential challenges to address when designing for IoT-based asset tracking, Do you have any IoT or Asset tracking projects you’d like to take to the next level?
Send us an email and get in contact with our experts at Future Electronics to get personalized engineering support for all of your applications.
