🆕 Press round-up: Logistics Business highlights our shipment tracking solution
In its October issue, the renowned international trade publication *Logistics Business* examined one of the greatest challenges facing the global supply chain: the lack of continuity in tracking goods in international transit, commonly referred to as the ‘logistics black hole’.
In an in-depth analysis of the current challenges facing freight transport, the publication highlights how emerging IoT-based technologies are redefining end-to-end visibility, drawing in particular on the UBI Shipping Track solution developed by UBI Solutions.
The ‘logistics black hole’: a major cost for the supply chain
As Logistics Business points out, the loss of visibility does not stem from a lack of data, but from a breakdown in the flow of information. When a shipment crosses borders, it passes successively through the hands of multiple intermediaries: suppliers, road hauliers, customs authorities, shipping lines, freight forwarders and last-mile delivery operators.
As each player operates on its own IT systems and according to its own update schedules, traceability becomes declarative rather than observed. All it takes is a delay in scanning or a data entry error at any point along the route for the goods to ‘disappear’ from screens for several days, or even several weeks.
The financial consequences of these gaps in visibility are colossal:
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Unforeseen bottlenecks and potential production line stoppages at the end customer’s premises;
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Inability to attribute damage (impacts, temperature fluctuations) to a specific section of the journey for insurance claims;
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Widespread safety stockpiling to mitigate the uncertainty of delivery times, unnecessarily tying up working capital.
Why traditional GPS trackers are no longer sufficient
Whilst GPS tracking has been around for many years, the media points out that it remains primarily designed for tracking heavy assets (containers, trailers) or high-value cargo. Due to their high unit cost, the weight of their batteries and the logistical complexity involved in returning the devices to their point of origin (reverse logistics), GPS trackers are proving unsuitable for the day-to-day tracking of regular volumes of goods. As a result, the vast majority of global freight continues to travel without direct traceability.
A technological and economic breakthrough thanks to BLE
The article in Logistics Business details the solution provided by UBI Solutions with its UBI Shipping Track solution, which makes real-time visibility accessible to all by changing the economic equation of traceability:
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Lightweight and cost-effective: The use of single-use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tags, weighing just a few grams and costing a fraction of the price of a traditional GPS device, means each pallet or box can be fitted directly in a matter of seconds.
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Automated data collection: The tags are detected seamlessly by networks of smartphones, IoT gateways and connected relays located along the transport chain, automatically transmitting their geographical position as well as status readings (temperature, impacts, openings).
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Seamless sharing with UBI Tracklink: Beyond data collection, the real innovation lies in information sharing. Thanks to the UBI Tracklink feature, the shipper generates a secure link enabling their customers, freight forwarders or destination sites to track the goods in real time, without the need to create an account or enter data manually. The data comes directly from the product itself, eliminating the need for intermediaries.
📰 Read the full article published by Logistics Business: 👉 End of the ‘Logistics Black Hole’ – Logistics Business
Would you also like to eliminate the blind spots in your transport flows and offer your customers complete visibility? Please feel free to contact our experts to discuss your projects.