Asset tracking: Optimising your capital assets and enabling real-time supply chain visibility

By Mike Hartmann   |   October 11, 2022   |   Provided By Avnet Silica

Asset tracking must be one of the best internet of things (IoT) applications created this decade. The ability to track the location of goods, personnel, or capital machinery in real-time is of significant benefit to any business. Asset tracking has brought previously impossible levels of visibility to global supply chains, streamlining processes, and providing minute-by-minute location data, so customers know exactly where their shipments are. Companies can use IoT-based asset tracking to track any physical item, from people to urgent medical supplies, capital-intensive construction machinery to empty shipping crates. They can be followed within buildings or virtually anywhere on planet Earth.

With such a diversity of potential asset classes to track, there are several vital factors engineering teams should review before designing an embedded wireless asset-tracking solution.

Coverage: What is the likely range you need to track an asset? Is it indoors, within a country, across a geographical region, or worldwide? This topic helps shape the type of wireless communication methods selected. If indoors, is it necessary to pin the asset to an individual room, just a floor, or simply ensure it is in a defined building?

Power source: How will the tracker be powered? In most use cases, a tracker needs to be entirely self-supporting, so a battery is the most likely power source. Is it possible to recharge the tracker's battery using a solar panel or other ambient energy sources, or is the asset capable of supplying sufficient power for the required duration? This is probably the most critical criterion from the hardware design perspective, typically requiring ultra-low power wireless ICs.

Monitoring parameters: How often the tracker needs to send its location and how much other data is required significantly influences the power consumption profile of the unit. When a wireless link is established, it makes sense to send any additional information. The type of asset will determine what is desirable or essential. For example, an accurate temperature record is paramount for chilled or frozen foods or medical supplies. Knowledge of extreme physical shock and excessive vibration for delicate assets could indicate a damaged consignment before delivery. With this information, customers can request a replacement shipment to minimise delays. Sending the tracker's battery voltage is also desirable.

Physical constraints: Knowing how and where the tracker will typically be attached to the asset is vital. Placing a tracker externally will require mechanically robust construction, but inside a shipping container restricts wireless communication and receiving GPS/GNSS signals.

Wireless communication: Suitable wireless protocols include Bluetooth Low Energy, Bluetooth Mesh, UWB, Cellular (LTE, NBIoT, DECT NR+), and LPWAN (LoRA, Sigfox). Each has specific attributes that suit the variety of use cases of asset trackers. Cellular methods are typically used for globally deployed trackers and offer the ability to fall back, for example, from 4G to 3G or 2G. Passive label trackers, used on pallet-based consignments, may use NFC and RFID.

Geo-location: Trackers deployed globally typically use GPS/GNSS to provide precise location data, but cellular networks also can yield an approximate location using base station coordinates and cell triangulation. For indoor tracking, UWB and Bluetooth methods offer viable tracking options.

The global asset tracking market is forecast to reach $36 bn by 2025, and according to research company Gartner, 65 % of companies will require indoor tracking capabilities to improve their operational efficiency and mitigate loss.

To find out more about designing asset tracking solutions and how asset tracking can benefit your business join Avnet Silica's Asset Tracking webinar.

Register Now

About Author

Mike Hartmann

Mike Hartmann is a Supplier Business Development Manager at Avnet Silica....

View Bio