BeWhere Enters Pallet Tracking Market 

A Toronto company, BeWhere Inc., is taking aim at the mobile asset tracking market, including the North American pallet market, which it sees as a huge opportunity. Rather than using RFID technology, the company is relying on smartphone Bluetooth technology.

BeWhere attaches small battery-powered beacons, about the size of a business card and one centimetre thick, and which comes with an accelerometer, temperature sensor and light sensor, high-intensity LED and buzzer. Recording data such as temperature, motion, light and impact, it can then transmit this information to the user’s smartphone to communicate this information. The range of the device is 250 miles, with a default transmission rate of once per second. Data recording continues even when out of range, and is then transmitted once a connection is restored.  Batteries are intended to last for two years. The LED and buzzer facilitate finding the beacon position in the warehouse.

Aside from its interest in goods in transport, the company is also targeting construction and utility industry assets, as well as paramedic services.

According to Material Management & Distribution Magazine, “the pricing for the service is based on the number of beacons being used. At the moment, BeWhere is not charging for users who want to try up to 10 beacons. Above that, to 100 beacons, the cost is $200 per month. If a user were to have over 10,000 beacons, …the price would come down to about 20 to 30 cents a month per unit.  The beacons are sold for $45 each.”

Listen to a recent interview at this link.

Sealed Air: How Effective Packaging Drives Down Automotive Supply Chain Costs

Ensuring clients get the perfect packaging solution for all their products lies at the core of the design process. Sealed Air has defined the four priorities an all-encompassing protective packaging design should address:

• Cube optimization (reducing waste, freight cost and environmental impact)
• Damage reduction (customer’s products protected, every time)
• Fulfilment velocity (making supply chains more efficient)
• Customer Experience (bringing an in-store experience into the customer’s home through custom packaging solutions that showcase a product brand and are easy to open, easy to return and easy to recycle).  Read more.

Flying High: CHEP Aerospace Solutions renews ULD management partnership with Air Transat

CHEP Aerospace Solutions, the leading global provider of outsourced ULD (Unit Load Devices) pooling and repair solutions, and Air Transat, Canada’s leading holiday travel airline, have extended their partnership for a further five years.

Since 2003, CHEP has managed the entire pool of ULDs for Air Transat’s growing fleet, including the supply of lightweight ULDs to maximise operational efficiency and sustainability. The continued collaboration will ensure that Air Transat can continue to build their growing network whilst benefitting from CHEP’s expertise and flexible service at the overall lowest cost.

CHEP Aerospace Solutions President, Dr. Ludwig Bertsch, believes that CHEP’s commitment to customer service and continuous improvement is the key to the ongoing success: “Our global pooling network has significantly increased over the past years which has enabled us to offer more synergies and better solutions to our airline customers. We value the partnership we have built and are pleased to continue our participation in Air Transat’s growth and success.”