Honeywell announced a new Connected Freight solution that gives shippers and logistics companies the ability to monitor shipments of high-value and perishable goods.
The new solution, developed in collaboration with Intel and third-party logistics companies, provides real-time information about the location and condition of critical freight while in transit. The solution was introduced during Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions' launch event on May 18.
"Honeywell is developing a range of Connected Supply Chain solutions that leverage technology and data to make supply chains more efficient and better able to adapt to rapid change," said Taylor Smith, president of Honeywell's Workflow Solutions business. "For shippers, logistics providers, retailers and others faced with a host of costly freight challenges, such as theft, damage, spoilage and delays, this convenient cloud-based solution provides customers with detailed analytics in order to plan, anticipate and react immediately to incidents that occur during shipment."
Real-time shipment information is critical, for example, when shipping perishables and goods that require uninterrupted refrigeration, such as pharmaceuticals, or high-value equipment that is sensitive to vibration or shock.
"After assessing our internal supply chain needs and the needs of the industry, we forged a unique collaboration with Honeywell. Together, we've customized Intel's Connected Logistics Platform technology to deliver an IoT offering that solves real logistics problems," said Chet Hullum, general manager for Industrial Solutions at Intel. "Thanks to data accessibility, shippers and carriers will be able to establish a more reliable supply chain network by having deeper visibility and information on shipments."
Honeywell's Connected Freight solution consists of sensor tags that sense a range of environmental conditions, such as temperature or vibration. The tags can be affixed to pallets or individual packages. The sensor data is captured by a mobile gateway placed inside a truck or shipping container and then transmitted via cellular networks to a cloud-based command-and-control platform.
Users can establish alerts based on temperature, shock, tilt, humidity, pressure and intrusion detection. The solution can alert manufacturers of high-value, highly sensitive technology if equipment has been damaged while being loaded or unloaded, or if it may have been stolen. The cloud can also store data for compliance and audit needs, and provide predictive and reactive analysis, such as which routes to avoid.
Honeywell developed the technology with Intel and three third-party logistics companies: DHL, Expeditors and Kuehne + Nagel.
"Kuehne + Nagel chose Honeywell and Intel to partner in the development of Connected Freight because of their expertise and competence in this kind of technology. We have used our competence as a global provider of logistics services and our expertise in supply chain management in order to co-develop this new technology," said Martin Kolbe, chief information officer at Kuehne + Nagel International AG. "We understand and anticipate the need for real-time data to inform customer actions during transportation very well. Armed with the Connected Freight solution, Kuehne + Nagel can offer a variety of new services tailored to our customers' specific needs. There are ongoing trials of the technology with one of our customers in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry, which is of strategic importance for Kuehne + Nagel."
In addition to Connected Freight, Honeywell unveiled a range of connected solutions for truck drivers, delivery workers and field technicians to improve productivity and ensure compliance with regulations.
