IT\\\


UK-based global satellite network operator, Inmarsat, - offering mobile and fixed communications services for the maritime, enterprise, government and aviation industries - reports that a lack of relevant skills and unreliable communication networks are threatening logistics companies’ ability to cash in on the value of the burgeoning Internet of Things (IoT). Inmarsat was established


in 1979 by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to enable ships to stay in constant touch with shore or to call for help in an emergency, no matter how far out to sea. However, its customers today can be found in many other industry sectors; they typically consist of businesses and organisations that need to communicate where terrestrial telecommunication networks are unreliable or are unavailable. It interviewed 100 global


transport and logistics companies to produce its recent report, ‘The Future of IoT in Enterprise – 2017’. It reveals that the three biggest challenges identified by those canvassed as threatening IoT development are a shortfall in IoT skills, problems associated with integrating IoT with existing systems, and poor connectivity. The company’s research


suggests that while 96% of transportation and logistics organisations believe that the success of their IoT deployments is based on reliable, ubiquitous connectivity, many businesses are still struggling to access the connectivity they need. No less than 28% of those approached stated that connectivity issues threaten


to derail their IoT


deployments before they have even begun. Inmarsat notes that effective


multi-modal, global logistics is reliant on the vast amounts of data gathered through IoT sensor technology, in order to analyse the behaviour of freight vehicles and cargo. However, it adds, without “ubiquitous global connectivity”, these sensors are not always able to function, thereby impacting on companies’ ability to efficiently manage their supply chains. Mike Holdsworth, sector development director (pictured)


– transport at Inmarsat Enterprise, comments: “In an increasingly inter-connected world, more cargo is moving through more geographies and more modes of transport to reach its destinations. This increasing complexity brings with it new risks and uncertainties, and creates a pressing need for logistics businesses to increase their visibility over the supply chain and make efficiencies, which is where IoT can help. “If you can monitor cargo from


its point of production to its point of delivery, you can cut down on wastage, understand and adapt levels of supply and ensure security. With a combination of IoT sensor technologies, such as radio frequency identification [RFID] tags, Bluetooth


Low


Energy and Low Power Wide Area Networks the movement of goods and things can become more efficient.” Holdsworth continues:


“However, the remote location of transport networks


and


routes clearly poses a challenge for logistics businesses. We can see from our research that gaps in connectivity are proving problematic to successful IoT deployment. “Terrestrial communication


networks may only provide sufficiently reliable connectivity solutions for IoT to function in parts of any given route, meaning vital assets such as trucks, trains, and ships, may enter communications blackspots when they are at most risk, in remote and potentially hazardous environments. For logistics businesses to access the full value of IoT, they must have reliable, continuous connectivity that enables them to constantly track their assets on a global scale.”


Cause for concern


Holdsworth spoke to FBJ about Inmarsat’s thinking behind producing the report. “The IoT is one of the biggest areas


of investment in the


digital transformation, with an estimated 30.7 billion connected devices and sensors expected to be deployed by 2020,” he points out. “We know that to gather and analyse data successfully connectivity is critical. As one of the only


global satellite communications network providers, we need to understand our customers, the challenges they are facing and their priorities for IoT if we are to serve this market successfully… which is why we produced this report.” Its coverage is impressive. “We


surveyed 500 senior IT decision- makers from companies within our key target sectors: energy, mining, transportation and logistics, and agricultural technology. The companies we approached all have a global presence and over 1,000 employees. “Despite its prominence as a


technological trend, IoT is still ‘under development’, meaning that many


organisations are


in the process of working out how they can maximise value from the technology. We knew from our experience of the market that in many industries, such as the logistics sector, large corporations are driving innovation in IoT, which is why we surveyed them for our report.” The findings may have


come as a surprise to some, but apparently not to Holdsworth and his colleagues. “Looking at the results from the transport and logistics sector, we weren’t surprised to see that these organisations are committed to deploying IoT solutions, given the advantages it can bring; 36% of organisations in the transport sector have fully or partially deployed IoT solutions, and another 33% expect to


Issue 2 2018 - Freight Business Journal


17 INMARSAT aims to fix poor connections


do so within six months. Unfortunately, we were also not surprised to see that one of the main barriers holding back IoT adoption in the logistics and transport sector was a lack of in- house skills. “However, many


transportation organisations appear to have identified partnerships with third parties as the solution to this lack of skills, with 76% reporting that they would use an external partner to assist with at least some of the development of their IoT solutions.” There was some reason for


raised eyebrows. “We were somewhat surprised to see that


almost a third of the transport organisations we surveyed (28%) agreed that connectivity issues were


He adds: “IoT solutions can threatening to


derail their IoT deployments before they have even begun,” Holdsworth informs. “We know how important speed and


high reliable


connectivity is to a successful IoT solution, but we may not have expected quite so many transport and logistics businesses to have their IoT projects disrupted by a lack of a continuous communications network.”


Solutions


Inmarsat is a specialist in this area and has products that address the concerns raised in the report. Holdsworth explains: “We can offer genuinely global connectivity. With our satellite communications network, we can connect devices and sensors located anywhere in the world. “This is particularly important


in the logistics sector. As the world becomes increasingly globalised, cargo moves through more geographies in multi- modal patterns of transport, potentially utilising cargo ships, trucks and trains to traverse the globe. We can offer hybrid networks to enable multiple types of connectivity, including satellite, cellular and LoRaWAN [long range wide area networks] for a seamless IoT experience across these different modes of transport.”


monitor parameters such as the temperature and humidity of cargo across the global supply chain, but for these solutions to work effectively they need connectivity on a global scale. Temperature or humidity sensors must be constantly connected to a communications network to transmit vital data about the condition of the cargo, whether it is waiting to be loaded onto a freight train or crossing the Pacific Ocean on a cargo ship. “Our global communications


networks can monitor cargo and freight vehicles wherever they are in the world, which gives logistics businesses complete visibility and insight into the condition and status of their assets. With this insight and this data, logistics businesses can create systems throughout the supply chain to, for example, return cargo temperature to its desired level if it exceeds the accepted maximum or minimum.” And Inmarsat has plans


for further technological development, says Holdsworth: “We are constantly investing in our infrastructure, services and people to ensure that we can offer our partners and end- users


the most competitive,


secure and reliable satellite communications - 2018 will see Inmarsat and our partners continue to develop our IoT offering, with some exciting new propositions, particularly in regard to multi-modal logistics.”


Forward thinking, Forward moving


I am often asked about the important decisions made by our organization. Without hesitation, choosing


Forward Computers as our software provider is proving to be a pivotal one to the on-going success and the progression of Graylaw’s future.


Nick Green, General Manager, Graylaw Freight Group


forwardcomputers.co.uk


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