Euroglas-De Landtsheer improves stillage (rack) management with HeronTrack IoT asset tracking solution “GlassTrack”, provided by the Belgian operator Citymesh 0G
Challenges
A leading provider of tempered and laminated safety glass across Benelux, Euroglas-De Landtsheer owns over 1,100 customised stillage racks to transport glass products to customers safely. Costing up to €1.000 per rack, Euroglas needed a solution to reduce the cost of replacing missing stillage racks and improve utilisation of its entire fleet.
Solution
HeronTrack introduced GlassTrack, an IoT-enabled, asset-tracking solution that is connected to the 0G Network to get real-time visibility into the location of its stillage racks.
Results
The new asset-tracking lets Euroglas:
- Reduce stillage theft
- Improve fleet management and shorten recovery time of misplaced stillages
- Minimise purchasing new stillages
- Enjoy administrative time savings of up to 30 minute
- Improve customer experience
0G IoT Solution Provider
Citymesh combines innovation and expertise into client-centric connectivity solutions. The company has been planning, installing, configuring, and maintaining wireless networks for over 15 years, offering complementary solutions with selected partners. Citymesh realizes connectivity in various sectors and niche markets through various IoT communication technologies like 3G, 4G, 5G, WiFi, Bluetooth and Sigfox 0G solutions, and data visualisation.
Solution Partner
HeronTrack helps companies solve the problems of equipment loss and interrupted productivity with smart solutions for tracking and managing small equipment items. With its tool-management solution for iOS and Android, the Charleroi-based company lets executives improve operational efficiency to focus on what matters most: the core business.
Customer
Euroglas is a leading producer of tempered and laminated safety glass used in interior glass doors, showers, interior walls, balustrades and more. The company manages its glass solutions’ production, delivery, and installation across three Benelux branches: Euroglas in Bornem, IGP in Meer, and Safetyglass in Fleurus.
Euroglas is a leading producer of tempered and laminated safety glass used in interior glass doors, showers, interior walls, balustrades and more. The company manages its glass solutions’ production and delivery across three Benelux branches: Euroglas in Bornem, IGP in Meer, and Safetyglass in Fleurus.
The company owns glass stillages (racks) used to transport glass products to customers. When stillages go missing, Euroglas experiences unpredictable costs of funding replacements, disrupted supply chain operations and interrupted customer experiences.
Frederik De Knijf, CEO at Euroglas-De Landtsheer, says, “Every stillage costs between €750 to €1.000. The cost of replacing lost, loaned, stolen, and misplaced stillages yearly is €50,000. We wanted to reduce that spend, find missing racks quickly, reduce customer disputes over stillage location, and get better at fleet management to improve our operations.”
HeronTrack “tag and go” asset tracking solution improves visibility to Euroglas stillages.
Euroglas worked with HeronTrack to improve stillage visibility by introducing an IoT-enabled “tag-and-go” asset tracking solution, GlassTrack. HeronTrack is known for creating innovative solutions to track the movements of small equipment in real time with smart sensors.
The tag-and-go solution required the Euroglas’ warehouse team fitting lightweight, compact HeronTrack smart sensors to 1,100 stillages. Installation is quick and easy, taking just minutes.
Each sensor runs on a low-energy battery lasting up to eight years, requiring little to no maintenance. Sensor features also include an anti-theft device, which alerts the warehouse team if a removal attempt is detected.
- We chose GlassTrack, connected to the Citymesh 0G Network, because it combines the accuracy of GPS location services with the longevity of the 0G Network and practical BLE scanning. Other attractive benefits include its excellent value for money, ease of installation and use, and long battery life for sensors. Real-time visibility of stillage locations helps our Logistics team reduce supply chain disruption and cost, as well as optimise time. Team training to use the solution and understand reporting took around two hours. So far, the solution’s success has captivated our management team!
Frederik De Knijf, CEO at Euroglas-De Landtsheer
When powered on, the sensors transmit a GPS-based location alert twice daily via the Citymesh 0G Network, powered by Sigfox technology, and every second through a Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) connection.
The 0G Network is a global low-power, long-range network enabling massive IoT, designed for low-cost, low-energy device connectivity.
The HeronTrack app, GlassTrack, for smartphones combines the two communications technologies in a single easy-to-use dashboard and visual map. The BLE enables short-range tracking of up to 100 meters, and the 0G Network supports long-range coverage across
more than 70 countries.
- The HeronTrack tag-and-go IoT asset tracking solution lets Euroglas see more and know more about its business, with practical insights that help the company save time and money. The low-energy, low-cost nature of the 0G Network supports long-term business operations with peace of mind that the maintenance and coverage of traditional network connectivity solutions can’t always assure. Sebastien De Grauwe, Founder & CEO at HeronTrack
Euroglas saves time and money with HeronTrack’s IoT-enabled asset tracking solution
Within months, GlassTrack helped Euroglas save time and money by delivering real-time visibility into the location of every stillage. The solution automatically reports stillage movements to drivers, warehouse staff, and management via the smartphone app and the same data is simultaneously visible on a web interface.
If a driver or other Euroglas representative suspects stillage theft, they can use the app to activate sensors to emit a continuous alarm for 24 hours. Stillages that are loaned out, lost, or inadvertently misplaced by clients are fast and easy to recover.
- Thanks to GlassTrack, we always have an accurate view of stillages without time-consuming manual tracking. IoT asset tracking simplifies how we operate by providing clear, detailed insights into the location of all racks. We can identify problems quickly, resolve issues before logistics disruption, and improve production planning. The customer experience has also improved because precise location insights mean we can minimise discussions with customers over lost or misplaced stillages. We’re looking forward to integrating the tag-and-track solution with Microsoft NAV to further streamline operations.
- Frederik De Knijf, CEO at Euroglas-De Landtsheer