Satellite monitoring: Bringing new dimensions to the technology
Over the last two decades, fleet management software has been steadily gaining popularity around the globe. According to the MarketsAndMarkets report the Fleet Management market is expected to reach US$27.9 billion by 2021.
The reason is simple, there is a huge demand for the technology. Fleet management systems help companies save millions of dollars by elimination of fuel thefts and waybills falsification.
For instance, Belsotra, a European logistics company, has managed to save about US$67,000 in a year by cutting fuel costs thanks to the fleet management system, while a security company Avantern prevented a client from a loss related to US$3,325,000 – the cost of the stolen vehicles, which were successfully found with help of Wialon system.
Certainly, these numbers impress, yet the potential of GPS tracking goes far beyond. Tracking systems ensure control over manufacturing processes, monitor any moving or stationary asset, or finally serve to save human lives.
Fleet management solutions for children safety
Three years ago in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) a four-year-old girl died after she was locked and forgotten in a school bus parked under the sun. Had the bus been equipped with a GPS tracking system, the tragedy would not have ever happened. To avoid tragic accidents in future, Gurtam, an international IT company, has developed a special “Passengers” module for public transportation. This RFID-enabled tracking solution allows for accurate passenger count in real time.
Therefore, in case a child doesn’t drop off the bus on time, the system would immediately notify a driver and school authorities. This way a kid who fell asleep or lost consciousness would be quickly found. Aside from decreasing the level of child mortality, the technology gives parents the tool to ensure their child got to and from school safely.
Still school bus tracking is in high demand not only in hot countries. For example, in North Carolina, USA, school buses were equipped with Wialon-based solution MiFleet in order to decrease the number of road accidents. The system controls school buses location and speed as well as sends instant alarms in case of over-speeding or any other violation. If an accident occurs, the dispatcher receives a notification and calls emergency services if needed.
Alan Justice, director of transportation in Transylvania, says that the implementation of Wialon-based solution has significantly improved driver behavior as all of their harsh braking and over-speeding are now registered in the fleet management system.
Satellite monitoring for manufacturing processes control
Road safety cannot be underestimated, yet there are many other domains where satellite monitoring can be of use. Machinery breakdown can cause serious financial losses, but what’s more, it can negatively impact employees’ health. Therefore, industrial safety remains a priority for companies around the world.
Take, for example, food industry. Cast Engineering Company has implemented a Wialon-based solution at a dairy factory in Bulgaria. Monitoring of all manufacturing processes ensured high quality production.
The system controls diesel generators and power supply to production equipment. Apart from real-time fuel consumption control, operators are getting live information on generator status (standby, switching mode and grid status).
Also, the system monitors water supply in tanks and water pumps outages/work stoppage as well as controls temperature regimes at the factory. When water level in tanks reaches minimum or maximum levels or the temperature exceeds safe values, a responsible person gets an alarm notification, thus preventing the spoilage of tons of dairy products.
Collected by special hardware, data is transferred to Wialon system for further handling and analysis. As a result the client acquires visualisation of all factory processes and can respond promptly to any emerging issues.
Aliaksandr Kuushynau, Wialon chief officer, said: “The latest developments in telematics and the IoT provide companies with an opportunity to greatly improve living standards for people worldwide. Here in Gurtam we’re working hard to address many problems the society faces nowadays.
Yet we are not only focused on developing the tools for businesses, being it fuel thefts detection or logistics improvement, but also put an emphasis on far more valuable issues like saving people’s lives.”
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