Forging new paths with smart logistics

The mail order business is booming. Millions of items are shipped every day. But what happens if a product is lost or even stolen? Even if such losses only occur sporadically, they can be very costly for companies in terms of both time and money. This was the precise challenge that ALSO Switzerland set out to overcome.

ALSO  is one of the leading technology providers in the ITC industry. The ALSO ecosystem operates in 28 countries throughout Europe and internationally in 143 countries, providing hardware, software and services to around 120,000 resellers.

From pure trolley tracking to delivery service

ALSO was repeatedly having to accept losses related to transport: either devices were defective or packages got wet or damaged, went missing or were delivered incorrectly.

The new Smart & Secure Trolley Dolly+ now enables the smart transport and storage of goods. The solid trolley prevents the contents from being seen from the outside and ensures reliable protection against theft. This is guaranteed by the smart lock, which only allows access to the goods by the authorised recipients. The electronic locking system only reveals its valuable cargo after entering an (alternating, dynamically assigned) code.

Seamless documentation for optimising operation processes

All trolley data is recorded digitally and, thanks to GPS-based tracking, sender and recipient know where the goods are at all times. Both parties can therefore always see whether the time-critical shipment will arrive on time at the recipient. If there are delays, notification is sent proactively and automatically so that an installer does not travel in vain to the customer before the ordered component is available for installation at the intended destination. In addition, the system offers seamless documentation in order to evaluate shipping processes and service providers.

Pay-per-use as a tailor-made offer

The solution offers more than just pure tracking. ALSO offers its customers a comprehensive delivery service, which allows them to book precisely the number and configuration of the trolleys they need at the time with pay-per-use. In addition, ALSO uses dynamic individual PIN codes instead of RFID for security; the access code can be communicated on a terminal device or, if necessary, by telephone. Keyless management ensures optimum protection.

bbv’s employees – consultants, project managers, UX specialists, software, requirement and test engineers from Switzerland and Vietnam – actively supported ALSO in realising the vision. Dolly+ promises a real uplift for digitalised logistics processes and ensures complete transparency of shipments from sender to recipient.

Comprehensive business intelligence and AI functionalities in prospect

Other services will be possible in the future on the basis of machine learning: After what length of delay should a replacement delivery be triggered? What will it reach the recipient? The more instances and associated data the system learns about, the more precise the predictions.

The solution developed by bbv can not only be used for these transport trolleys, rather is also suitable for any shipment container. The focus here is on tracking and interaction with different IoT devices, such as sensors that measure temperature or vibrations. This allows tracking of transport chains, for example, as well as uninterrupted cooling of medicines or documentation of careful transport of sensitive technical devices.

The system can therefore be enhanced with a variety of different IoT devices. Combined protective features are also possible, however, for example a scenario in which the code for opening the system only works with a specific geolocation (for example on the recipient’s premises) or in conjunction with additional security factors.

Project insights

• Security: Valuable goods are effectively protected against theft during transport and at the destination thanks to an electronic lock with an alarm function. Notifications can be managed in a granular manner via the responsive web app so that the transport box can only be opened by authorised persons.

• Tracking: Dolly+ offers reliable tracking. All data is recorded digitally and, thanks to GPS-based tracking, sender and recipient know where their goods are at all times and can respond in good time to delays.

• Optimised operation processes: The smart trolley simplifies the work of branch managers, logistics managers and CFOs alike. Thanks to Dolly+, branch managers can rely on a smart digital solution that is transparent at all times. Logistics managers benefit in turn from reliable delivery of goods and Dolly+ relieves CFOs of individual shipping decisions.

• IoT platform: Seamless communication and data traffic on the devices and sensors used is processed via ALSO’s own IoT platform AllThingsTalk.