Smart Logistics: Transparent and Efficient Shipment Tracking

What Is Smart Logistics?

Smart technologies are now integrating into more projects in order to tackle industry challenges and automate repetitive tasks. According to FedEx, one of the world's largest logistics providers, enterprises are increasingly investing in digital technologies that will drive their business forward. Smart logistics solutions, on the basis of IoT and smart elements such as real-time data about the whereabouts of products and cargo, provide retailers or decision-makers with opportunities to serve their customers better in this heightened expectation era. Beyond the logistics scenario, it ultimately reaches customer demand, which is where businesses thrive.

Why Need Smart Logistics?

When we refer to smart logistics, it's everything from inventory, warehousing, retail, to order fulfillment, and so on. It is actually not about the solution of smart logistics, but "smart logistics service". Manually updating consumers on new arrivals or parcel tracking can be time-consuming and error-prone. Things can be different if you attach an asset tracking tag to a box or container, allowing customers to see where their product has been transported or when it will be delivered via an app. Checking the vehicle fleet location at any time ensures immediate actions can be taken in case of emergencies, thus ensuring reliable delivery.

What Smart Logistics Operations Involve?

Smart logistics planning for each company requires specific solutions that combine hardware and software systems. Data are collected, aggregated, and uploaded from the interconnected IoT devices to a cloud platform management system where operators and logistics managers can gain data insights to make data-based decisions.

Hardware found in smart logistics services

Asset Tracking Tags/Labels

Most asset tracking tags are battery-powered RFID/BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) tags in a compact size that can be attached to items, boxes, or containers to follow the location of the shipment. BLE tags include positioning technology offering real-time geolocation insights compared to RFID tags. Some asset tracking tags may feature an anti-tamper or anti-theft design, alerting immediately when triggered. Choose the right asset tags or labels to collect the data needed.

IoT sensors

IoT sensors can monitor environmental changes to help ensure optimal conditions for those environment-sensitive items and products during shipment. Choose the sensor based on your project, including technologies such as BLE and LoRaWAN sensors, and functions including temperature, humidity, motion, light, and more. For further details, please visit the "Ultimate Guide of Bluetooth? LE Sensors".

IoT Gateway

The gateway uploads collected data from IoT nodes such as asset tags, sensors, and beacons to the cloud server for storage and computing. Gateways that support edge computing can relieve the load on the central server and provide cleaner, more reliable data. Consider protocol compatibility such as Bluetooth and LoRaWAN, data processing capabilities such as edge computing, data security features, and deployment location (indoor or outdoor) when choosing the gateway.

Cloud server

A cloud server running in a cloud computing environment carries the main functions of storing data and running applications. A third-party cloud service provider hosts resources, such as computing, which are delivered over the network, most often the Internet, and available to many users on demand.

Software in Smart Logistics Solutions

Warehouse Management System (WMS)

This software streamlines the management of a smart logistics warehouse by monitoring and controlling the entire process, including when goods arrive, are labeled, moved to storage, and then picked and prepared for distribution. A Warehouse Management System (WMS) typically combines technologies like BLE tags, RFID tags and readers, and other management systems, ultimately boosting operational efficiency.

Warehouse Control System (WCS)

This software works with the WMS to connect and manage all automated equipment in the warehouse, including conveyors, product sorters, and automated storage and retrieval (AS/RS) systems. The Warehouse Control System (WCS) ensures efficient warehouse operations through real-time monitoring. Additionally, the WCS assigns tasks to various warehouse subsystems and provides operators with instructions, ensuring a balanced workload for both machines and staff.

Benefits of Smart Logistics

Reduced Costs

IoT applications in logistics enhance visibility, enabling significant cost savings across logistics processes. Research by Moyaux and McBurney (2006) indicates that even a small reduction in the bullwhip effect ratio can save $26 in inventory costs and prevent 0.15 days of annual stockouts. Real-time shipment tracking empowers transportation companies to minimize expenses by providing constant updates on cargo location and delivery status, streamlining planning for future deliveries and collaborations with business partners. By leveraging BLE positioning and GPS technology attached to shipments, IoT logistics tracking systems seamlessly communicate with clients, employees, and suppliers. This ensures precise updates for warehouse staff and customers, improving delivery predictability and ultimately reducing logistics costs.

Production Planning

One of the key advantages of using smart logistics solutions is their ability to identify delivery shortages. Many materials experience significant delays before reaching the production site, often requiring multiple transfers during transport. Throughout this journey, there are typically periods where information about the materials is unavailable. The most problematic aspect is the delay in discovering and addressing these issues, which can take weeks and disrupt production. By leveraging smart logistics solutions, you can gain real-time visibility into your material inventory, monitor your current stock levels, and track the progress of your orders, ensuring better control and minimizing production disruptions.

Reliable Delivery

Integration of IoT into supply chain and logistics functions raises the level of supply chain visibility in general. Products, components, and even raw materials can be tracked through GPS tracking, BLE positioning, and real-time monitoring systems in order to trace their movements along with the supply chain. Such information helps companies to trace the problems well in advance and solve them before such issues can turn big. Smart logistics solutions even help them in assuring their customers get goods on time so that customer satisfaction can stay high.

Minew Offers One-stop Hardware Solution for Smart Logistics Services

Minew, an innovative leader in the IoT industry with extensive expertise, offers an all-encompassing lineup of hardware solutions designed to meet the needs of a variety of smart applications, including smart logistics, warehousing, offices, and intelligent buildings. Below is a showcase of our cutting-edge BLE-based hardware solutions for smart logistics and warehousing projects:

Asset Tracking

The MTB06 ultra-thin BLE printable smart label surpasses traditional passive RF solutions such as NFC and UHF. Featuring a flexible, eco-friendly paper battery, it supports sustainable practices while delivering exceptional performance in real-time positioning and data collection, powered by the InPlay’s compact IN100 NanoBeacon? SoC with Bluetooth 5.3 technology for seamless wireless transmission. Combining BLE and UHF RFID functionalities, this smart label ensures visibility into shipments at every stage. It has flexible design and great versatility for tracking parcels and packages in warehouses and logistics environments.

Environment Sensing & Monitoring

The MST01 is an industrial-grade Bluetooth? temperature and humidity sensor tailored for comprehensive environmental monitoring in sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, and warehousing. It features configurable alarm thresholds for temperature and humidity and offers an impressive broadcast range of up to 656 ft (200 m). A standout feature of the MST01 is its support for optional probes, which allow it to measure conditions across diverse settings to suit specific application needs. For enhanced precision, the MST01 Pt100 Temperature Sensor provides ultra-high accuracy, while the MST01 LoRaWAN sensor enables longer-range communication, making it ideal to a larger scale of use cases.

Data Pre-Processing and Upload

The MG6 4G Bluetooth? Stellar Gateway is a powerful device that acts as the central hub in an IoT ecosystem, much like how a star anchors its planetary system. With a wide coverage range of up to 600 meters (in open areas), the MG6 can swiftly scan thousands of tags and sensors, making it the perfect solution for logistics hubs, warehouses, retail environments, and exhibitions with high volumes of inventory and traffic. It supports multiple connectivity options, including WiFi, Ethernet, and 4G, and can automatically switch between network standards to maintain optimal performance in complex environments. Seamlessly integrating with BLE beacons, sensors, and management systems, it enables real-time operation monitoring and control, while minimizing the need for labor-intensive inventory checks.