Hapag-Lloyd has taken the first step in its major project to equip its entire dry container fleet with real-time tracking devices with the first of the IoT devices being installed at the CMR depot in Wilhelmsburg, Germany
In the following weeks and months, installations will begin in other selected container depots in Europe, Asia and the Middle East and within the next year, up to 200 depots worldwide will take part in the installation of 1.6mn of these devices on standard containers. The plans for this ambitious plan call for the vast majority of Hapag-Lloyd’s dry containers to be outfitted with these devices by the end of 2023.
Maximilian Rothkopf, COO of Hapag-Lloyd, commented, “We are very excited to get started now. We are the first carrier in the industry to undertake such a far-reaching step towards the digitalisation of container shipping. The containers leaving our depots with a tracking device will now be fully visible to us and, in a next step, to our customers as well – whether they are in a warehouse or moving on a truck, train or barge. We believe that the increased transparency has the potential to improve the management of strained supply chains for the benefit of our customers.”
The tracking devices will be able to transmit data in real time from each container and to thereby make supply chains more transparent and efficient. For example, they can supply location data based on GPS, measure ambient temperature within the container, and monitor any sudden shocks to it. The devices integrate the latest energy-harvesting technology and low-power consumption techniques to ensure that they have ultra-long service lives with high-frequency data transmission.
The container fleet is currently being equipped with devices from the established TradeTech partner Nexxiot, and devices from ORBCOMM, a global leader in IoT solutions, will also be installed starting later this year.
The Hapag-Lloyd LIVE product for dry containers will become available for customers over the course of 2023.
