EIT Smart, IoT and location data: the case of Konvoy Group

In the field of logistics, so-called localization solutions are increasingly taking hold. What are we talking about? We are talking about new IoT sensor devices that allow goods, assets or people to be located within a given operational context, providing extremely useful data to better plan, direct, execute and measure activities. All for the benefit of visibility, control, efficiency, and productivity.
Consider the benefits of always being able to know where assets are and what state they are in.
For example, in logistics, where are vehicles or containers? Are they moving or stationary? Full or empty? How long have they been there? At what temperature have they been transported? Having visibility into assets enables you to better manage your operations and make logistics and in general supply chain management processes more efficient.

Asset tracking made easy with EIT Smart and Sigfox

Having an overview of one’s assets, locating them even outside national borders, is simple and within everyone’s reach, thanks to the new sensors (trackers) that integrate the Sigfox protocol and communicate thanks to the 0G network, which in Italy is managed by EIT Smart, the only national 0G network operator able to guarantee international interoperability by interconnecting with the networks of the other 72 operators in the “0G Network.”

The strengths of Sigfox technology

Sigfox technology is a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWA) (low power and long range) and is based on the Ultra Narrow Band (UNB) communication protocol. This protocol enables new applications characterized by security, low power consumption, ease of use, and low-cost wireless connectivity by making it possible to add connectivity to objects (assets, containers, goods, etc.) not yet connected.

This new IoT technology turns out to be a winner when compared to short-range technology solutions (BLE, RFId, etc.), which provide a good solution for asset tracking but only in limited spaces, and is also better than cellular solutions, which are more energy-intensive, jammable and more expensive and complex to manage globally.

The information that these new trackers send over the 0G network is the location of assets, status and transport conditions, supporting the calculation of indicators such as the level of asset utilization or estimated time of arrival.

In the beverage sector, IoT revolutionizes the world of drum rental: the Konvoy Group case

Track&trace applications can bring benefits to all sectors, including the beverage sector. This is demonstrated by the case of the Konvoy Group, an Australian provider of keg rental solutions for the beverage industry, which chose to track and monitor 70,000 beer kegs with an IoT solution in Sigfox technology on a 0G network.
The advantages are real and obvious. The data coming from the field becomes precious information that allows you to save time and resources, optimize and make activities and movements more efficient. IoT technology also allows the Konvoy Group and its customers to solve the problem of lost kegs and optimize their keg fleet.
The 0G network also enables data to be transmitted even over long distances and between multiple countries, a fundamental element for the Konvoy Group which operates in Australia and New Zealand.

More than anything, we wanted to offer real-time information and high visibility to manufacturers and drum rental companies about their fleet and enable them to not only reduce asset losses but also optimize drum usage,” explains Adam Trippe-Smith, Founder and Director of the Konvoy Group. “We were looking for a robust, low-cost tracking solution that would last at least five years. Initially we focused on localization, but then this solution gave us the opportunity to also monitor the temperature of the drums. In the beer industry, for example, leaving a keg at high temperatures can ruin the product. Being able to send an alert to our customers to inform them that their keg was transported at the right temperature is an important advantage for them.”
Adam Trippe-Smith – founder and Director of the Konvoy Group

The IoT trackers used to locate the Konvoy Group’s fleet drums are small, battery-powered devices, programmed to send location data via the 0G network at regular intervals or based on specific events. Thanks to low energy consumption, each sensor can last up to 5 years transmitting position and temperature information several times a day and it does not require frequent maintenance. In addition to tracking, an accelerometer with algorithms has also been integrated into the tracker to detect different types of movement during the life cycle of the drum, so it knows, for example, when drums are moved or cleaned.

Konvoy started by managing its own fleet, later the business expanded and also became a point of reference for other keg owners. Today Konvoy manages over 200 rental customers and has already installed 70,000 devices on its drums, equipping 95% of its fleet in Australia and New Zealand.