An Post tracks containers with Sigfox
An Post will use technology from VT-IoT, Ireland’s Sigfox’s 0G network operator, to improve tracking of roll cages and containers.
The Irish mails, parcels and ecommerce logistics group has contracted VT-IoT, the operator of Ireland’s Sigfox 0G network to revolutionise their supply chain with IoT tracking devices as part of their innovative and fast-moving digital transformation strategy.
An Post Mails & Parcels is rapidly changing from the old world of traditional letters to the new world of ecommerce parcel logistics and B2B services for Irish and international businesses, and recently opened its new fully automated Dublin Parcel Hub.
The company’s operational infrastructure includes a large volume of returnable transport units such as roll cages and containers. To provide an efficient and cost-effective service, An Post require a systematically integrated operational process. The roll cages and containers in which parcels are transported must be available every day in the required quantities in the company’s mails hubs across the country.
With the advance of revolutionary Internet of Things (IoT) technology, VT and Sigfox are providing An Post with the solution they need to optimise their supply chain. Smart tracking devices empower An Post to monitor the location of their assets nationwide, even outside their own supply chain.
Using Sigfox, the world’s leading IoT service provider and first global 0G network operator, has eliminated the barriers associated with traditional tracking technologies: price, battery life and coverage, by providing low cost, low power connectivity over a single global network today available in more than 70 countries.
“VT’s state-of-the-art solution has resulted in significantly increased transparency in our postal distribution network, ensuring world class quality of service for our customers and lower operational costs through improved containerisation efficiency”, explained Mark Devine, National Engineering Maintenance & Performance Manager, An Post.
“Our collaboration with An Post is an exciting step forward into the future of industrial IoT and a key milestone toward connecting billions of IoT devices globally on the Sigfox 0G network. We are confident our solutions have the power to truly revolutionise the way logistics and supply chain companies do business, resulting in significantly reduced costs and increased efficiencies,” commented Mark Bannon, CEO of VT.
““We are delighted to support An Post in this new era of industry 4.0, where we are making the once untraceable now entirely visible to organisations. We continue to deliver benefits to postal organisations, like An Post in Ireland, DHL in Germany and Posti in Finland. This is a key vertical for Sigfox, where we strive to deliver value and thought leadership in Global Supply Chain & Logistics," added Glen Robinson, SVP Global Sales & Marketing for Sigfox.
VT is a 0G IoT network operator and a pioneer of IoT solutions within the Supply Chain and Aerospace markets. Its nationwide Sigfox IoT telecoms network currently delivers over 95% geographical coverage to Ireland.
Sigfox is the initiator of the 0G network and describes itself as the world’s leading IoT (Internet of Things) service provider. Its global network allows billions of devices to connect to the Internet, in a straightforward way, while consuming as little energy as possible. Its network is now available in 70 countries.
