As COVID-19 vaccines become certified in coming months, experts are concerned whether the supply chain could present logistics bottlenecks and slow down vaccine deliveries.
Efficiency could be hampered, or there could even be complete breakdowns, hopefully not on a massive scale.
Common problems such as pilfering, asset misplacement and physical damage due to improper storage will be exacerbated as vaccines become available, according to Lux Research.
“It is now more important than ever to ensure the right goods are transported in the right quantities, under the right conditions and delivered to the right place at the right time,” said Lisheng Gao, an analyst at Lux Research and author of a report, “Sensing for Modern Logistics.” “Only then will it be possible for society to remain functional and ensure that abundant resources are available to fight the pandemic.”
Technology in the form of sensors can help, even preventing problems from occurring, Gao said.
“IoT sensing solutions are the most promising, as they can enhance data visibility and transparence across the entire process and facilitate planning, optimizing and uncovering other invisible insights,” Gao said.
Even without network connections, sensors can store information about the logistics history of a delivery process, helping find events that may have led to compromised goods.
Unfortunately, sensing systems for logistics are fragmented, according to the Lux Report, with no standardized approach that spans the entire logistics journey. There are four stages in the journey: point of origin, warehousing, transit and destination delivery. Even so, the report recommends that companies embrace the available technologies despite their limitations.
The Lux report identifies dozens of companies that offer sensing solutions across the four stages of logistics journey. “The market will remain fragmented, with increasing diversified solutions,” a report summary notes. “Maturing sensor technologies will motivate innovations [and] this will introduce more diversified solutions.”
Also, Lux predicted that sensing solution providers will focus more on analytics to reveal the root causes behind events.
For the transit stage of logistics, Lux said the fragmented market of at least 15 vendors is “both beneficial and detrimental…The lack of comprehensive and standardized platforms increases the costs, especially when multiple pain points need to be tracked. Despite the importance and readiness of the technologies, the market may show some hesitation and frustrations.”
Lux identified Sensolus as a sensor solutions provider for Airbus which provides full location visibility for shipped goods. Sensolus uses GPS trackers to offer real-time location data on returnable transport packaging. The Sensolus approach uses a low-power GPS tracker that is integrated with various sensors, and the GPS trackers communicate by Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi and Sigfox.
Using the sensors, someone tracking a shipment can see whether it is in-flight, on a truck or a ship. Airbus benefits from greater efficiency, making sure containers and crews are properly used and running efficiently.
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