- Foundation of long-term partnership for consistent transparency in logistics processes
- 250,000 roll cages to be equipped with smart trackers
Bonn, June 19, 2019: Deutsche Post DHL Group, the leading logistics company in Germany, ALPS Electric Europe GmbH, one of the largest developers and manufacturers of electromechanical devices, and Sigfox, the leading Internet of things service provider, have agreed on a partnership to optimize individual processes within the supply chain of DHL’s German parcel network through the systematic use of networked sensors.
As the leader in the German parcel market, DHL delivers about five million shipments in Germany each working day. To process these quantities reliably, systematically meshed operational processes are indispensable. The required equipment, for example the thousands of roll cages in which the parcels are transported, needs to be available every day in sufficient numbers in both the warehouses of large customers and the 35 DHL parcel centers throughout Germany and in the adjacent countries. To ensure that this is the case on a sustained basis, about 250,000 DHL roll cages will gradually be fitted with smart trackers in an initial phase to provide exact information about their locations and movements. “The transparency we gain through the use of the new devices will contribute to further improvements in service quality for our customers and to lower operational costs through better equipment management,” said Thomas Schneider, Chief Production Officer Post & Parcel Germany at Deutsche Post DHL Group.
The trackers now enable digitalized administration and location of this equipment – anywhere in Europe. Ludovic Le Moan, CEO and Co-founder of Sigfox, is pleased about the partnership with DHL. “Our collaboration with ALPS Electric Europe GmbH to meet DHL expectations was an amazing experience to pave the way of future industrial IoT. Mass production requires long processes of design and tests. This project is a strong milestone toward billions of connected devices on 0G network. That’s why we see enormous potential in this partnership.”
Sascha Kunzmann, Senior Manager at ALPS Electric Europe GmbH, is also convinced that the partnership has a promising future. “Together we can show that through very close cooperation among the three partners, the systematic optimization of every single aspect of the tracking devices will enable a long service life exceeding ten years – at a fraction of the current costs. That will make tracking for very large quantities economical for the first time,” says Kunzmann.
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