|
Satellite, cellular and radio frequency identification (RFID)-based tracking technologies all have the potential to increase the safety and security of cargo containers while improving supply chain efficiency, but a combination of all three may be needed to provide maximum value. In its report "Cargo Container Tracking and Security," ABI Research outlines the benefits of each of these technologies and how they complement each other. According to ABI, RFID, cellular data communications and satellite communications can all be applied to container tracking and security. Each has its pros and cons, and currently there is no one technology or business model that will be entirely cost-effective or sufficient for all container tracking and security. "Choosing container tracking technologies is all about finding a balance between the cost of each individual method versus the value it can deliver," says ABI Research director Michael Liard. "In many cases a smart combination of technologies will provide greater value than the sum of its parts. Potential users today are searching for that optimum tradeoff." RFID, for instance, offers low overall costs (but expensive infrastructure). It stores data, but provides near real-time feedback only when the tags are near interrogators/readers. Cellular communications carry moderate costs and offer real-time updates, but service can be expensive. Satellite communications provide real-time data with greater coverage, but with even higher costs. Solution providers are beginning to offer multi-platform technologies to address the needs of the supply chain. Savi Technology's RFID tags can be read by Qualcomm's GPS network, providing greater tracking capabilities. Wavecom has developed the Q52 Omni Wireless CPU that combines cellular, satellite and GPS technology for remote asset monitoring. Schenker is testing a combination of RFID, GPS and sensor technology to track containers. RFID provider Wavetrend Technologies has also released GlobalEyes, which supports RFID, GPS, ZigBee, SATCOM and other wireless communications platforms. Wavetrend's partner on that system, System Planning Corp., has also teamed with electronic seal provider E.J. Brooks to offer satellite, GPS and cellular container tracking products. Other applications still rely on active RFID solutions. Hi-G-Tek has provided its technology platform to Kazakhstani systems integrator Science Technical Center to monitor cargo for the Customs Control Agency in Kazakhstan. Active RFID tags are used to monitor containers (in combination with onboard sensors) and are read at entry and exit points. High costs have hampered adoption container tracking technology. Liard says a government mandate will be needed to ensure widespread use of this technology. "A key challenge is that there are still too few government security mandates on container tracking," Liard says. "The security aspects of container tracking are the hardest to quantify, but mandates do help drive markets, and they can help provide some guidance around technology selection."
|
