IoT helps exporters real-time monitoring of cold chain cargo

Bengaluru: An Internet of Things (IoT) based solution to monitor temperature-controlled cargo is enabling real-time supply chain visibility at the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru.

Currently available at Menzies Aviation Bobba Bangalore (MABB), one of the cargo terminals at the airport, the technology will enable live monitoring of temperature-sensitive products such as pharmaceutical and perishables, including fruits, vegetables, meat, sea food, dairy products, cut flowers etc.

The solution will not only benefit the pharmaceutical & perishable food industry in Bengaluru, but also play a part in strengthening airport's reputation as South India' s preferred cargo gateway.

The TAGBOX-developed technology will provide shippers and agents real-time temperature data of the shipment from the time it leaves the warehouse to the point it is loaded onto an aircraft at the airport. The battery-powered Tag360 sensor, attached to each small SKU, box, or pallet tracks the product's temperature, at every step of the journey. Shippers and agents can monitor the end-to-end health of their products through a central monitoring dashboard via a web or mobile interface.

The temperature data gathered from the sensors can be used to create valuable insights into efficient operations and resource management leading to improved customer service.

IoT-based sensors capture other critical product parameters and instantly send SMS and / or e-mail alerts. With this, the shipper will be able to take corrective actions, instantly.

Remote temperature monitoring also allows companies to enhance visibility of the product and meet regulatory compliance.

"At BIAL, we firmly believe in digitalising processes to create transparency and real-time visibility, while improving overall efficiency. End-to-end visibility has become a prerequisite for any supply chain. We are pleased to collaborate with our partners to enable this at BLR Airport," said Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Strategy & Development Officer, BIAL.

"In order to maintain end-to-end transparency of the shipments processed through our cold zone, MABB, in association with BIAL, had conducted a POCs on few pharma shipments by using the TagBox solution. It turned to be a perfect solution, providing us the satisfactory result. The implementation of this solution has added value to our cold chain supply process and more importantly for the pharma shipments at our cold zone," said Mr. Anil Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, Menzies Aviation Bobba (Bangalore) Pvt Ltd. BLR Airport is one of the few airports globally to have such technology for efficient handling of cold-chain cargo.

To further improve its cold-chain processing efficiency, BIAL has launched Envirotainer, a technology that enables pharmaceutical companies and their logistics partners to move temperature-sensitive cargo across the world, while maintaining the integrity and quality of products throughout journey.