Supply Chain Digitalization: End-to-End Traceability for Multimodal Logistics
Discover how Tactical Edge and BlueUp delivered end-to-end shipment tracking with TVA, a logistics platform for multimodal operations.
Background
A major multimodal logistics company faced the need to digitize its processes to improve shipment tracking and asset management. The supply chain involved moving pallets and other non-palletized goods by truck, rail, ship, and barge from the United States to offshore islands. To address this challenge, the customer turned to Tactical Edge, which specializes in providing solutions for a variety of logistics and supply chain challenges. Tactical Edge collaborated with BlueUp for the hardware components used in the solution.
Challenge
The customer needed to accurately and continuously monitor the flow of materials at every point in the distribution channel—not just in terms of location, but also in integrity and accountability during the transfer between different carriers: from truck to train, from train to port, and finally to the final delivery. Complete traceability and verification of custody exchanges were essential to ensure transparency and control along the entire logistics path.
Solution
Tactical Edge provided a powerful cloud-based logistics monitoring and management solution, Total Visibility Anywhere (TVA). The TVA platform natively and seamlessly integrates BlueUp devices, including advanced Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons, tags, and gateways, for all aspects of tagging and tracking. BlueUp, the leading Italian provider of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons and tags for the Internet of Things (IoT), produces a variety of advanced indoor tracking and monitoring systems based on BLE technology.
For this customer’s requirements, Tactical Edge leveraged the TVA software platform along with multiple products from the BlueUp BLE beacon product line, including the Mini Beacon and the TinyGateway WiFi BLE, to streamline tagging and tracking at key customer locations. The flexibility of the BlueUp solution allowed Tactical Edge to integrate BLE monitoring across BlueUp gateways and smart GPS tracking devices, as well as through TVA’s mobile apps, to provide seamless end-to-end data collection.
The net result was total visibility of shipments and assets through a complex multimodal distribution channel, offering a cost-effective and automated solution. By using BlueUp beacons, the TVA platform minimized infrastructure, reduced employee overhead, and eliminated costly delays. The solution automated data capture, processing, and reporting for the customer.
Results
The customer achieved end-to-end tracking of materials along the entire multimodal distribution channel. Beacons proved particularly effective and convenient in identifying specific events, such as materials forgotten on the dock, and automating the verification of materials during transfer to local operators. The system improved operational efficiency and transparency, providing a reliable tool for resource management and cost containment.
In addition to the direct benefits for the customer, Tactical Edge’s client was able to use the TVA platform to share real-time alerts and updates with their own clients at no cost, strengthening and expanding the trust in their client relationships.
Contact
For information about BlueUp BLE, Wirepas, Quuppa products, and RTLS solutions, visit blueupbeacons.com or contact info@blueupbeacons.com.
For more information on the Total Visibility Anywhere (TVA) logistics platform from Tactical Edge, visit tvasolution.com or contact contact@tvasolution.com for additional details.