Tracing posted items is becoming increasingly important as customers – and senders – want to ensure their item arrives safely. The latest in label printing might just help to ensure that items no longer get lost, as Sam Colley, CEO of Pod Group, explains.
When Pod Group launched its 2mm thick Smart Label at CES in January, it caused a great deal of interest – and is something we believe is a game-changer in the logistics industry.
What sets the Smart Label apart from the competition is its ability to track small and light items in a very discrete way, something traditional tracking devices have never been able to do before.
We developed this cutting-edge technology together with industry experts SODAQ and Lufthansa Industry Solutions (LHIND).
Technology used
The Smart Label features a low-power cellular LTE CAT-M connection that allows logistics organisations to track valuable commodities as small as an envelope carrying anything from important documents to diamonds, or even items as large as a full-sized oil painting. LHIND’s middleware design enables geofences with alerts to notify users when shipments reach or leave critical supply chain areas but also give the user full visibility of the item throughout the supply chain.
Thanks to its printed battery and low-power design, the Smart Label is significantly lighter and slimmer than traditional tracking devices. Plus, the battery can last for up to six months, making it a reliable solution for long-haul shipments.
The Smart Label is also versatile. Depending on how you chose to use the device, the label can be used multiple times driving down the per-trip economics and making it viable for almost any type of shipment. Users can set the frequency of the label’s pings from once a day to every two hours. We guarantee up to 150 pings per label, but we’re constantly working on improving the technology, so we expect this number to increase.
How it works
The Smart Label is a powerful IoT device with sensors that can monitor a package’s temperature, detect opening and communicate location.
Our priority was to create a label that would be easy for users to apply and utilise. To activate the device, users simply need to cut the corner of the adhesive label and attach it to the shipment. Then, they can scan the barcode to set the frequency of the pings. The Smart Label is then automatically provided with Pod´s connectivity and can start sending alerts.
Sustainability
The Smart Label was designed with sustainability in mind. All the label materials are recyclable, except for the printed alkaline battery, which is non-toxic and can be disposed of as regular waste. Plus, our easy recycling process means that when labels reach the end of their lifecycle, users can send them back to us in sets of 10 to 50 for recycling.
Conclusion
We offer the market new and innovative technology with the Smart Label, which is a combination of the label and its printed battery from SODAQ, a central dashboard from LHIND, and secure and reliable international connectivity from Pod Group. With the Smart Label, logistics companies can now track shipments of all sizes more easily and efficiently than ever before, and I’m excited to see all the new applications in which it is used.
