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Description
INFORM LYKOS GR specializes in embedded hardware security systems, information management, secure digital services, and the Internet of Things.
When transporting sensitive commodities, the product environment changes rapidly, which can result in diminishing of the products quality, and losses. According to UNs sustainable development goals number 12.3 & 12.5 members are obliged to reduce half of the losses from food production and a significant reduction in waste per person by 2030.
INFORM LYKOS GRs project “Sensitive Sea Products Monitoring” consists of developing a tracking device (a transmitter and a receiver) for real-time monitoring of sensitive commodities such as perishables (seafood) and pharmaceutical products, throughout transportation (by land or/and sea), thus ensuring the safety of the cargo and that its quality is not diminished during transportation. The tracking device will use a Global SIM hardware module to enable the device to report the status of the product at regular intervals to a cloud platform.
The project is expected to result in improved quality of services in logistics, improve transparency of supply chains, minimize unnecessary mileage and resources for transportation, reduce carbon footprint and product waste due to transportation.
Summary of project results
The logistic services handling fish and seafood shipments require real-time monitoring and management, in both land and sea, to guarantee a fresh quality product on the shelves. Currently, the majority of fish and seafood transportation is handled by refrigerated trucks. As these vehicles traverse the European motorways to deliver their goods, time can be measured from hours to several days, but quickness and efficiency should always be a priority, since they can affect final quality and pricing. For example, during transportation, if the conditions of the refrigerated container change (due to power fluctuation, mechanical malfunction, etc), that could affect the quality of the product – even spoiling the entire shipment.
To address the requirements of logistics services, this solution provides an integrated end-to-end service for real-time remote tracking of refrigerated cabinet conditions, to address specific aspects of the logistics transportation chain that affect the live monitoring capabilities of sensitive commodities.
The solution, which was developed, tracks remotely and in real-time the truck’s refrigerated cabinet conditions, thus monitoring sensitive commodities during transportation. The solution provides asset visibility during the whole transit process which enables logistic services to react and adapt to incidents as they occur to prevent potential damage to the shipment. The solution provides custom-made devices that capture ambient data, global network connectivity for bilateral communication and applications that turn captured data into actionable information and business insight.
3 main R&D activities were carried out: the design and development of the hardware device of the solution, the development of the edge-cloud platform to facilitate monitoring of sensitive commodities, and the development of the analytics tracking software to be deployed on the device and as an accompanying service.
The project adds value to companies/stakeholders in the logistics and maritime sectors, as they are able to streamline processes, improve efficiency and decrease operational costs. Specifically, the solution developed improves the quality of services in the logistics chain, it improves visibility and transparency in the supply chain, it minimises unnecessary mileage and resources for the transportation of spoiled commodities, and reduces the carbon footprint and waste material in the logistics chain.
Summary of bilateral results
Both partners worked together to find a common solution; IDN, the donor partner, identified the end-users and stakeholders’ requirements, as well as tested the technologies for IoT connectivity.