Mapping and location data company HERE Technologies, and French wireless network provider Sigfox, have announced a deal that will see the two develop and deploy a global location service that harnesses IoT technology for the supply chain and logistics markets.
HERE Technologies will integrate its global network of Wi-Fi hotspots with Sigfox‘s worldwide network and geolocation engine to give customers the ability to locate their assets, both indoors and out, without the need for additional network infrastructure.
Addressing the global asset tracking market
According to Cisco and DHL, the use of IoT asset tracking solutions in the sector stands to create $1.9 trillion of economic value. With that in mind, the Sigfox and HERE deal could open the door to companies that couldn’t previously afford geolocation-based asset-tracking services.
“Our partnership with Sigfox reinforces HERE as a major player in IoT,” said Christophe Hamaide, senior account executive at the company.
The HERE Location Suite references billions of Wi-Fi hotspots, and through this joint initiative, we will be able to pinpoint the location of millions of connected objects all around the world in the coming years.
In a statement setting out the terms of the partnership, the companies claim that the new combination of technologies and global reach will allow clients to do far more than simply track their goods. The expectation is that companies using the service will also be able to gather data to improve efficiencies, transport conditions, and service reliability.
Sigfox and HERE are currently running pilot schemes, including air transport, luggage/trolley management (in partnership with design brand Louis Vuitton), and shipping container location services.
“This partnership is another major step to accomplish Sigfox’s ambitious vision to become the most competitive provider of industrial data in IoT,” said Laetitia Jay, chief marketing officer at Sigfox.
Locating assets while guaranteeing the lowest total cost of ownership of the solution is a key driver for the logistics and supply chain industry, to benefit from massive IoT business impact.
Internet of Business says
Last year Sigfox expanded its operations into 36 countries worldwide, and in April the company launched a pay-as-you-go IoT service with the help of Soracom. Both moves, along with this week’s announcement, are a reflection of the returns to be made in the global supply chain and logistics sector.
The ‘one body, many parts’ nature of supply chain makes it well suited to the rich data that implementing an IoT network can unlock. Companies can anticipate shortages, respond quickly and effectively to issues, and identify inefficiencies and potential cost-savings.
Most important, as highlighted in our recent interview with Elementum’s Dean Ocampo, brands can combine the IoT, AI, and data analytics to adapt to the ‘need it now’ mentality of today’s customers.