INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Enterprise Security
CouriersPlease creates real-time visibility with Optus IoT asset tracking
Thinxtra has announced that parcel delivery service CouriersPlease has deployed Optus ’ LPWAN-based , battery asset tracking solutions , powered by Thinxtra ’ s 0G Network and Internet of Things ( IoT ) devices , to help it scale efficiently while reducing instances of lost transportation cages and operating costs amid significant business growth .
CouriersPlease , a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore Post ( SingPost ), delivers across Australia through its 850 franchises and 350 delivery partners . As a result of the online shopping boom resulting from nationwide lockdowns , the company has experienced an 80 % increase in business in the last two years , and now moves more than 30 million parcels per annum .
To support this growth and maintain high service standards for franchisees and customers , CouriersPlease partnered with Optus to implement cost-effective asset tracking devices connected to the IoT . The devices will be fixed to 3,500 cages , providing real-time data for unprecedented visibility over its national fleet . while allowing us to keep pace with higher volumes of deliveries .
“ We looked at various vendors , including 4G options , and partnered with Optus and Thinxtra as they offered collaborative asset tracking backed by battery powered LPWANbased IoT sensors , that we don ’ t need to mess with or replace for years , making it an extremely cost-effective value proposition .”
CouriersPlease commenced deploying Thinxtra ’ s IoT devices in October , with all units to be installed ahead of an anticipated second peak parcel boom . Once implemented , the devices will send location information from the cages to a dashboard where CouriersPlease can see their location in real time . Every pre-configured Thinxtra device has a battery life of more than five years , eliminating the need for on-going maintenance – and associated costs – for the lifetime of the sensors .
“ There are multiple ways to handle asset tracking , but the main challenge organizations face is doing so in a costeffective manner – it doesn ’ t make sense to put AU $ 400 trackers into AU $ 1,000 cages , nor do we want to overwhelm our clients with huge amounts of data they don ’ t need ,” said Zorawar Singh , Head of Product at Optus Enterprise .
“ We built an IoT solution based on lowpower wide-area network ( LP-WAN ) technology for CouriersPlease , which is connected to Thinxtra ’ s powerful and national 0G network as we believed it provided the best solution at the greatest value for the customer .”
As part of the company ’ s goal to expand its use of IoT technology to support its growth , CouriersPlease will extend its use of the Optus solution to track other parts of the business in the future . p
“ With demand for our services on the rise , we found our transport cages – which can carry between 60 to 600 packages each – were increasingly going walkabout . They were disappearing due to theft , or simply left sitting in our commercial customers ’ facilities , unidentified for return ,” said Phil Reid , Chief Operating Officer at CouriersPlease .
“ We have doubled our assets , and that introduces increased risk . As our business continues to expand , it has become crucial we can track their whereabouts in real time . This will nullify losses of the expensive cages , which cost AU $ 1,000 per unit ,
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