Inbound logistics is characterised by a low level of visibility and information sharing on one side, and on the other side, on the complete absence of measurable indicators enabling to monitor the level of quality of the transport. For example, localization is provided for the 3PL with rough indications such as «your transport has left the supplier site». Another example is the impossibility to know how components with specific needs regarding temperature or shocks (metal sheet, headlights) have been handled during transportation. A third example is a truck incident or delay, which is usually reported manually by the driver through personal or company devices (e.g. phones).
To increase the visibility, quality and automated exception handling, within the MIDIH Project, CRF together with some partners, Cefriel and Engineering in particular, has developed a solution for the supply chain manager: a hardware and software platform consisting of 1) a custom outdoor tracker able to track position, temperature, humidity, shocks and vibrations, 2) methods to identify incoming events in the supply chain, 3) a dashboard integrated with company systems to report and highlight the status and incoming events.