TE Connectivity, specialist in connectivity and sensors, has collaborated with London-based internet-of-things innovator, Hanhaa, and technology solution provider, Avnet, to make advances in improving the ability to identify the location of a package as well as its condition through the 4G and cloud-enabled ParceLive.
"Billions of parcels are transported each year. However, today's tracking landscape is patchy, unreliable and doesn't give a holistic view of the conditions of specific shipments, or more broadly of systemic inefficiencies or risks in the global supply value chain," says Christian Koehler, a product manager at TE Connectivity. "We worked with the ParceLive team to ensure the right antennas and sensors were designed in the right locations within the product."
Equipped with seven custom-designed TE Connectivity sensors and antennas for 4G, ParceLive provides live cloud-based dashboards and reports:
- Location, even from within warehouses
- Orientation of the shipment and if it is tilted
- Temperature and humidity levels
- Shock –flagging freefall over .4 seconds
Shipment breaches are triggered by light sensors when a parcel is opened. Before the partnership with TE, ParceLive's antennas have been inefficient and unable to fulfill the required tasks under real-live conditions, neither had a chance to pass certification, on top they were expensive. ParceLive is a battery-driven device of the size of a smart phone, in which multiple antennas need to function efficiently, at minimal power consumption. TE's engineering expertise, as well as intensive collaboration helped to guarantee required performance, provided scalability for mass production and reduced cost and size of the board.
"To improve efficiency, enhance customer service and protect valuable goods, hundreds of leading companies are now quickly adopting ParceLive tracking. Particularly the automotive, pharmaceutical and luxury goods industries are rapidly welcoming the new technology into their supply chain. There are already a number of use cases that are transforming how the logistic industry works, and improved insight is helping to combat a range of issues from customs delays to counterfeit goods," said Hanhaa CEO Azhar Hussain.
