BlackBerry, which was once one of the world’s largest mobile phone makers, is now looking towards a future in the IoT market with a new asset tracking system.
The Canadian tech firm has partnered with fleet graphics provider Modagrafics in a bid to market and sell its new system to industrial and delivery companies. It’s been developed for trucking businesses and private fleet operators, giving owners the ability to track location, conditions of trailers and other critical events.
Can BlackBerry revolutionize trucking?
According to BlackBerry, the system can help these companies provide fast delivery times, generate more profit from customers and improve trailer capacity.
Fully self-contained, the product will constantly send truck operators alerts and information updates about the trailers and other company assets.
For instance, a truck driver or operator can use the system to find out if a trailer is loaded or not, if the door has been left open and if a trailer is in motion.
Useful data
The system also has sensors to provide information on different conditions, including temperature, barometric pressure and humidity.
That’s handy because trucking operators can reassure customers that the more vulnerable items in transit are always safe from damage, potentially boosting customer satisfaction.
While the system is new, it can be used with existing transport management systems and solutions, with the ability to share data between two different pieces of software.
BlackBerry claims that the system takes just 10 minutes to set up per vehicle, and its battery is capable of lasting for more than three years.
Promising partnership
Derek Kuhn, senior vice president of IoT at BlackBerry, said: “Our focus with BlackBerry Radar is to improve the bottom line for fleet owners. BlackBerry Radar provides unparalleled data and analytics tools for fleet managers to locate, optimize, and maintain their trailer fleet.
“Working with Modagrafics, Radar can disrupt and improve the out-of-home advertising market. We are incredibly excited to offer an entirely new dimension of value to our customers.”
Modagrafics will act as BlackBerry’s North American sales partner and will work towards providing trucking companies with this IoT-enabled system.
Paul Pirkle, president and CEO of Modagrafics, said: “The fleet customers we serve around the country have been looking for an affordable way to make all their trailers ‘smarter’ and leverage their fleet assets more effectively.
“By combining Modagrafics’ marketing and branding products with the BlackBerry Radar solution, our customers will not only be able to improve traditional fleet efficiency, but they will have the ability to more effectively manage their brand presence, optimize their out-of-home marketing budget, and increase customer impressions.”
Related: Canadian tech giant makes inroads in IoT device with telematics device