On the subject of smart labels, as per a couple of recent pieces about Sony Semiconductor Israel… There is, of course, another pioneer in the field, and one the team missed at CES in January, despite covering the smart-label story from the start, and also reporting extensively on the (other) enterprise at its vanguard (as a protagonist in the whole Industry 4.0 game); Netherlands-based IoT hardware firm SODAQ has teamed up with Germany-based enterprise IoT provider Pod Group to deploy an LTE-M based smart label with Lufthansa Industry Solutions (LHIND).
So, as reported, Sony Semiconductor’s experiment with German pharmaceutical firm Bayer, plus Kigen and Vodafone, is not the only game in smart-label town, and its early lead may have been overhauled – at least until the Israeli chip maker explains what it has been up to for 30 months. Anyway, the point of this post is to catch up, briefly, with SODAQ and Pod Group, a division of security tech group Giesecke+Devrient (G+D). Their work with system integrator LHIND, arguably the most important early adopter of private LTE and 5G technology, looks innovative.
They called it the “first commercial smart label tracking device” at CES; the solution is 2mm thick (“paper thin”, they say), plus a low-power cellular LTE-M (Cat-M) transceiver, a 3D-printed alkaline battery, and temperature and motion sensors. The whole package is recyclable, the trio contend. The battery will last for six months, they reckon. LHIND, active in its development and not just its sale, is responsible for the middleware platform, which enables the use of geofence alerts when a package enters or leaves points along a supply chain.
The label can be used multiple times, depending on the frequency of the transmission, they say. Again, it is exactly the same idea as the original NB-IoT based product from Sony Semiconductor, Kigen, and Vodafone, which continues to be used by Bayer, and is understood to be the basis for a developing service proposition from the chip firm’s hush-hush startup-spinoff Sensos. Pod Group said its smart label – in use by and in sale via LHIND – “enables new logistics use cases”, most significantly the chance to track small and lightweight items.
These might include letters and parcels, even, which have not previously justified IoT investments. Pod Group cited tracking of “valuable goods”, suggesting a more considerable investment – “which could be as small and light as an envelope containing important documents or as large as a full-sized oil painting”.
Sam Colley from Pod Group, said: “[This] the result of the combined expertise… to deliver a unique industry-leading solution – from SODAQ’s innovative hardware with its unique form factor and recyclable materials, to LHIND’s powerful centralized dashboard, and Pod Group’s secure, reliable global connectivity.”
Ollie Smeenk from SODAQ said: “Companies with complex supply chains can track their goods efficiently, reducing spoilage and theft… Low-power cellular… can now reliably send near real time positions, temperature and shock alerts from this recyclable ultra-thin device. We are excited to be the first in the world to make this a commercially viable solution, together with our partners.”
Ingo Pietruska, vice president of business development at LHIND, said: “Smart mobile devices will play an increasing role in the digital transformation across all industries. Because of its form factor and unique technology, the smart label enables a series of new use cases. LHIND is proud to be part of the adventure of creating the first smart label with LTE-M connectivity for a fast growing number of countries.”
More to follow from Pod Group in the next few weeks.
