SR: OCEAN PORTS & CARRIERS continued
Real-time monitoring down to the pallet level allows distributors to know the exact shelf life of an item before it even leaves the container.
Sensors are one of the most exciting innovations to happen with fruits and vegetables.” Don Miller, vice president of global sales and marketing, Globe Tracker
46
toring and control, data and alarms, is now in its second generation, which included the addition of pallet-level sensors. “This version is able to provide data inside the container from an individual pallet and even inside a box on the pallet. Light sensors can actually detect if someone even opens a box inside your container, if you wanted to have that specific demand,” Miller says. From a food standpoint, Miller believes these sensors are one of the most exciting innovations to happen with fruits and vegetables, which have a high loss during transit. “We are able to put multiple sensors in each pallet and condition monitor everything from when it goes into the container and comes out. What becomes exciting there is that we can create a first in, first out model for the pallets coming off the ocean because…we can monitor each pallet for damage and tilt and humidity and know what was affected where. Get a picture of the inside of the container, if you will,” Miller adds. This in turn makes it easier for the distributor to determine the exact shelf life of an item before it is even off the container, thus realiz-
FOOD LOGISTICS | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
FLOG0218_44-49_OCEAN.indd 46
ing more sales of the product. Sense Reefer was initially created primarily to address issues around repair and maintenance, but as Globe Tracker looked at the markets and what people were asking for, even from the shipping and third-party logistics (3PL) side, it was more about the cargo than it was about the actual container or equipment. “We had to introduce a technology that would allow us to communicate through the refrigerated container wall right into the cargo space and to every pallet, even when the reefer is unplugged,” Miller says. “We made it possible with our device that it charges itself when the reefer is powered, so there’s no explanation of what the variation in temperatures are, and there’s no explanation of why you have no data because you’re in transition from vessel to port. You have an opportunity for data all the way through, which is particularly appealing for pharmaceuticals, but also food.”
Making Sense of Data Real-time data and visibility has never been more important than in
today’s consumer demand-driven environment, especially in the transportation of food and beverage. But having data and actually understanding that data are two very different things. ClearMetal, which has self-titled itself as a predictive logistics company, is helping companies to make sense of supply chain data and get advanced visibility and predictive visibility into their supply chain’s flow by utilizing an artificial intelligence (AI)-based platform. “Our platform cleans that data. It structures it. It normalizes that information and allows companies in the supply chain to finally make valuable use of the data that they have in their hands,” explains Adam Compain, founder and CEO of ClearMetal. “Second, what we do is we provide applications that allow supply chain professionals to make the most efficient decisions on how to order cargo, how to watch those shipments move across the world, predict when exceptions might go awry, and when those shipments will finally arrive at their destination. And basically also predict the behavior of the different logistics providers that are serving those shippers.” The third benefit of ClearMetal’s AI-based solution is its predictive visibility capabilities. Shippers are able to predict much farther in advance, and with much higher granularity of certainty, what’s likely to go awry in the supply chain or when shipments will finally arrive. “Supply chain experts can actually make better decisions, plan strategically, manage exceptions before they actually happen, and deliver far better customer service to the recipients of those shipments,” notes Compain. A shift in production upstream in the supply chain as well as the Amazon Effect downstream is putting new pressures on both logistics providers and the shippers to run www.foodlogistics.com
2/2/18 12:24 PM