Internet of Things (IoT): Revolutionizing the Logistics Sector

For a long time, we have been talking about the Internet of Things (IoT). A concept that was first introduced in 1999 by Kevin Ashton, a Procter & Gamble executive.

Since then, IoT has continued to grow and evolve, helping to make life a bit easier for everyone who uses it. It also saves time and helps to eliminate errors.

What is the Internet of Things or IoT?

The IoT is, as its name suggests, about connecting objects to the Internet. It began with everyday objects, such as watches or light bulbs.

Over time, the IoT has evolved to connect virtually everything from washing machines to transport trucks.

Today, the IoT allows the user to integrate the communication of connected devices, as well as to obtain all the data, in real time, from them.

In this way, thanks to the IoT, the user can centralize and process information from all objects using the IoT.

What is IoT used for?

The IoT, on a daily basis, is used for all home automation that you may have at home, from your vacuum cleaner to your kitchen robot.

It allows, not only to connect electronic devices, but, as we have mentioned, it also provides the necessary information, in real time, of all the objects or devices using the IoT.

Moreover, when taken beyond personal use, and IoT is used in the business world, the possibilities it offers are unbeatable.

For what kind of businesses can IoT be used?

It can be used for every type of business. For this reason, we are going to make a small compilation of what IoT can achieve in different sectors:

  1. Logistics: Exhaustive tracking of managed packages.
  2. Industrial: Knowledge of the entire production line.
  3. Construction: Monitoring of environmental conditions to protect building materials.
  4. Medicine: Real-time control and monitoring of patients’ condition.
  5. Education: Reduction of operating and long-term storage costs.
  6. Agriculture: Prediction of weather conditions and improvement of water treatment, fertilizer.

In addition, we have to take into account that all this information is provided in real time, which allows organizations to react in case of any failure or error.

How is IoT used in logistics?

The logistics sector is evolving day by day. All companies in this sector are working to optimize their processes, seeking to eliminate errors, control data and achieve better results.

Most of the companies in the sector know what logistics 4.0 is, how it can help them and are working to get there.

In this sense, IoT and Logistics 4.0 go hand in hand. A logistics company that has full knowledge of all its processes, eliminating paper and connecting its processes, will act in a more agile way, and even anticipating certain circumstances.

What benefits are there to using IoT in the logistics sector?

The benefits of IoT in this sector are endless. Let’s start by explaining them with a small use case.

At Bravent we are proud to have developed for Grupo Mazo, a leading Spanish freight transportation company, an IoT Azure Architecture solution, based on Microsoft technology.

In this case, Grupo Mazo had to ensure compliance with the cold chain of its customers. In addition, the company had a wealth of information on all its services and customers.

For this reason, it implemented an Azure IoT Architecture solution visualized through dashboards in the Business Intelligence Power BI tool.

In this way, thanks to IoT, it organized all the information it received, in real time, from each of its trucks, being able to make an exhaustive follow-up of each of its customers’ goods.

It was also able to link all the information from its trucks with the desired quality parameters for the transport of each good.

Moreover, thanks to IoT, both the group and its customers received real-time alerts when these parameters were not met.

In addition, this allowed it to know what was causing the non-compliance with quality parameters.

Thus, it is able to ensure the quality of all the products it transports, since, in the event of any problem, both the group and its customers are able to react immediately.

What conclusions can be drawn from the use of IoT in logistics?

The use of IoT by any industry helps it to gain autonomy and control over all its business processes.

If we focus on logistics, as we have seen, the IoT favors better order management, greater control of processes, better customer satisfaction and, consequently, better results for the company that implements it.

For this reason, the IoT is something that is increasingly present in logistics companies, and that will grow as they use it due to its return in the results of the company.

Would you like to know more about the possibilities that IoT brings to the world of Logistics? Would you like to know how it can benefit your company’s results? At Bravent, we want to help you grow.

Contact us! One of our experts will advise you!

We recommend you read: Caso de Éxito – @GRUPOMAZO – IoT – Microsoft Azure