The buzzword in supply chain visibility today is ‘infrastructure-free’. Businesses are seeking visibility solutions that eliminate the need for costly and complex RFID or Bluetooth gateways. Cellular-based tracking offers a promising gateway-free solution. However, these devices have traditionally been expensive, bulky, and environmentally unfriendly. They were primarily used for tracking high-value products prone to theft.
Fast forward to today, the cost of electronics for cellular tracking devices has significantly reduced. The technology has become compact enough to fit ultra-thin circuits, chips, and batteries on the same substrate. The battery chemistry has evolved, replacing hazardous lithium with safer power sources. This advancement has enabled the creation of a printable, environmentally friendly, and non-hazardous cellular tracking device.
The Impact of Infrastructure-Free Tracking on Supply Chain Operations
The reduced cost of cellular-based tracking devices has made it economically viable to track a wider range of products, not just high-value items. This shift in economics replaces traditional operational processes like manual audits, barcode scanning, and RFID reading with real-time visibility of every tracked item in the supply chain.
This new generation of cellular trackers, as long as there is solid cellular reception, allows companies to know the exact location of each item without the need for gateway installation. Several providers offer close-to label-thin or truly label-thin tracking devices, each with their own strategies for location determination, activation method, battery chemistry, and battery length.
Companies that need to ensure their products reach and remain at their intended destinations are particularly excited about going infrastructure-free. This is especially true for businesses shipping products to locations outside their control, with no independent way of verifying if their products are being received and handled correctly. The demand is high in sectors where precise location tracking is critical, such as pharmaceuticals, e-commerce, and retail supply chains.
With the ability to cost-effectively track more items in an infrastructure-free environment, more consistent data will be collected throughout a package’s supply chain journey. This reliable data can be leveraged to automate processes and apply advanced routing logic, improving the efficiency and visibility of supply chain processes.
