Pollin8, a Kiwi IoT SaaS company, and Thinxtra, an Australian IoT telco, have deployed an asset tracking solution to New Zealand glass maker Architectural Glass Products (AGP).
Pollin8 provided IoT tracking devices for AGP’s 1,750 delivery carts, each valued $3,500, as part of the solution. This reduces the company’s carbon footprint by preventing them from becoming misplaced and increasing the efficiency with which they may be returned. Thinxtra’s 0G Network is used by the devices.
The IoT sensors are permanently attached to each trolley and continuously collect location data, even when GPS signals are missing. This data is sent across Thinxtra’s national low-power wide-area network (LP WAN) and delivered to AGP in real time via web and mobile applications.
The firm, which was founded in 2019, has a highly automated factory in the Waikato’s Hautapu, on Te Ika-a-Mui, on the North Island, with a four-day order-to-delivery duration as one of its selling advantages.
“Having Pollin8 and Thinxtra’s joint IoT solution in place from the start has proved central to our ability to deliver this level of service. Rather than resorting to the time-consuming task of counting assets on a map with a basic GPS solution, we have a dashboard and data that inform us which customer has the trolleys and how long they have had them, enabling us to quickly take action to maintain our high service levels,” says AGP’s Gene Sanford.
The combined IoT solution was chosen by AGP because it is cost-effective and low-maintenance, the devices are simple to install, and the 0G Network allows AGP to link sensors without investing in communications infrastructure.
Pollin8 CEO Nick Pickering states, “Although GPS based tracking solutions have been available for powered vehicles for decades, IoT has introduced the capability to deliver tracking of non-powered assets using devices with long battery life in an affordable manner and at scale.”
Thinxtra CEO Nicholas Lambrou adds, “AGP gained granular visibility over the assets responsible for safely transporting its glass products to a fast-growing network of customers, avoiding unnecessary losses, and maintaining its stringent customer service level agreements.”