IoT (Internet of Things) technology is helping numerous logistics companies to monitor and protect temperature-sensitive goods, as well as various high-value items that can be impacted by vibrations among other things.
How can the tech be best utilised by shippers, carriers and forwarders though? Which developments will see the possibilities of IoT widen in the future? What are the limitations of IoT devices, and how important is the interface of the platform that reads and presents the IoT data?
To find these answers to these questions and more, we tracked down Walid Turki, the International Business Manager at Synox, a French IoT integrator.
Since starting in the machine-to-machine (M2M) industry space 18 years ago, Synox has branched out into IoT, in turn working with the likes of GCA Groupe, EDF, Bolloré Group, Stellantis, Renault, Mercedes, and BMW.
The company’s IoT offering spans all industries, but in the field of transport, covers elements such as fleet management, route management (e.g. to warn against low bridges), as well as the transportation of dangerous and temperature-sensitive goods.
How IoT is being used to monitor and protect temperature-sensitive cargo
It is arguably the latter of these use cases that IoT is best known for in the road transport industry. For temperature-sensitive goods like pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, and luxury products, maintaining consistent environmental conditions during transportation is essential.
It is here where IoT solutions can have a role to play, as the technology offers the means to provide monitoring of key metrics like temperature and humidity.
As Mr Turki explains, the technology allows alerts to be sent out automatically, giving those responsible for the transport the chance to address any issues as soon as they arise.
“For the refrigerated trailers transporting goods to the big hypermarkets, we use 4 IoT devices to track the temperature and the humidity. To be sure everything is under control temperature-wise, we can apply some alarm settings. So for example, if the temperature rises 2 degrees, a notification can be sent through via email or sms, allowing them to go directly to the platform, which is accessible via computer or mobile. They can then have the driver of the truck stop and take a look. If there is a problem, the driver can also send this information through the platform. If there is a false alarm, the driver can confirm this too,” Mr Turki told Trans.INFO.
In the case of goods like pharmaceuticals, vaccines, or organs, the needs are even greater than with refrigerated foods, as Mr Turki explains:
“Transporting organs is really difficult because there is a temperature challenge and there is a vibration challenge. Some of the organs are transported through motorbike, some through a helicopter. For this, we use different devices to calculate the temperature and vibration, allowing clients to see if the organs are still in a suitable condition. Blood transportation also requires a certain temperature.”
Why the use of IoT in the road transport sector is growing
According to Mr Turki, interest in IoT in the road transport sector is on rise in France, something he in part attributes to increased regulation in the country:
“This market is getting bigger and bigger, because the need is here. The clients of our clients are increasingly involved in transportation. We see the need for IoT in terms of goods generally, not just items that need to be refrigerated. A lot of high-value goods, for example petrol and transportation, have high demands. Cargo theft also means there’s high demand from GCA Groupe, and other clients are enquiring more about devices to track goods.”
Mr Turki added:
“In France, we’re also starting to see more regulations enter into force regarding transportation. There are regulations incoming in terms of CO2 emissions and how the trucks are used – clean air zones are just one example. My colleague informs me that there are also regulations regarding the quality of the transportation. This reminds of an interesting case involving Pandora, who were tracking jewellery deliveries from Paris to Disneyland Paris to prepare for these changes. This will all surely lead to more demand for IoT in transportation next year,” Mr Turki told Trans.INFO.
The importance of employees receiving sufficient IoT platform training
Although Mr Turki has good reason to be positive about IoT, he also warned that companies will need to invest in training to ensure their employees know how to proficiently use the platforms accessing IoT data.
“Companies that implement IoT solutions will have to bear in mind that the employees may not be ready to use a new platform and the new tools associated with it. This is a really big red flag we’ve seen across multiple use cases, including the smart cities like Paris, Nimes and Montpellier. Employees must be trained to the point using the new platform is routine. Clients may be ready to use such solutions, but their employees might not be,” said Synox’s International Business Manager.
The role of customisation and data visualisation
On the side of the IoT integrators like Synox, the challenge is in understanding the needs of the clients and customising the dashboards to offer relevant data insights.
Although Synox says its dashboards are fully customisable, they still need to be tailored to each individual client, which is not a straightforward process:
“One of the biggest challenges we face is figuring out how each client wants to see their data,” says Mr Turki. “So the real struggle is understanding how clients want to see their dashboards.”
Connectivity and network challenges in IoT
Another challenge with IoT devices can be maintaining consistent network connectivity, especially in remote or rural areas.
This is especially true in the case of 5G, which Mr Turki describes as being “still far away” in France. “Even though the infrastructure is ready, the devices are not. Not many of the devices we deal with have 5G yet,” Mr Turki told Trans.INFO.
Moreover, Mr Turki notes that the LoRa network, for example, is not covered everywhere in the world – especially in Europe. To get around this issue, Synox utilises multi-operator SIM cards that connect to whatever the best signal is.
“The SIM card is connected to a device that creates a LoRa era, a LoRa bubble of network, which is a private LoRa network under our control,” explained Mr Turki.
Nevertheless, Mr Turki went on to explain that IoT devices are more likely to deploy other technologies in order to reduce energy consumption and increase battery life:
“The future of the technology is actually in LTE-M and NB-IoT, because they use the standard mobile network. So you always have a network, and this is the challenger to LoRa. These devices don’t use up much battery life either. Batteries can last over 5 years. Even in the case of 4G, for example, you’re looking at just 12-18 months,” said Mr Turki.
Future IoT developments, from new satellites to actionable devices
Looking forward, what developments could enhance the possibilities IoT tech offers to the transport sector?
According to Mr Turki, improvements in satellite technology and infrastructure will make a difference. In Synox’s case, Mr Turki notes that thanks to Kinéis, a French company that operates a constellation of 25 nanosatellites for IoT connectivity, worldwide coverage without “white or blank spaces” will become possible by the end of this year.
“Right now, you have one satellite. The satellites come to the same point where the device is, but you’ll have maybe a delay of 30-60 minutes,” explained Mr Turki.
IoT devices themselves are also developing to become actionable in different circumstances. Such devices are already in use in the agriculture sector, where they may trigger sprays should the soil be too dry. Among other things, this leaves open the possibility of devices being used to allow refrigeration units to automatically adjust to temperature changes.