2. Globe Tracker and Vodafone M2M
transform the global supply
chain with a breakthrough
asset tracking solution
Since its formation in 2006, Globe Tracker (GT) has opened
offices and development centres in China, Denmark,
Iceland and the US. After five years of intensive research and
development GT is now a leading provider of secure trade
data sharing, data analytics and global asset tracking and
monitoring services and equipment.
Globe Tracker case study
3. The need
The technology to track shipping containers has been around for 20 years, but with many
limitations including the way the product journey is tracked, charged and installed. Without any way
of providing end-to-visibility of the journey in real-time, the technology available to shipping and
distribution companies has often failed to keep pace with customers’ needs.
This situation has been a problem for goods that need to have their entire journeys tracked and
monitored which today, in our real-time world, means just about everything. Historically this has
been a particular problem for suppliers of perishable goods like fruits, vegetables, meat and fish.
Suppliers of fresh fish, for example, want to prove to their retail partners and consumers that their
product is really fresh, was transported in the right conditions and comes from the source claimed.
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4. “When we first came up with
the idea for this business
we knew that we needed
a global communications
partner that was capable
of providing the necessary
scale, network coverage and
price consistency to make
it viable – Vodafone was the
only serious global option”
Don Miller,
Global Sales and Marketing Director,
Globe Tracker
The solution
The solution developed by GT is a suite of asset visibility devices and networks that is set to
revolutionise the shipping and supply chain industries.
The suite includes:
• The Globe Tracker Trade Data Exchange Network (TDEN) – A unique and highly secure
cloud-based service that allows global supply chain partners to track item-level cargo and to
share valuable trade data with each other, as well as with their customers directly from their
own secured private databases.
• The Globe Tracker Communications Unit – An advanced real-time tracking, monitoring and
communications device. The unit is designed for permanent installation on the customer’s
assets, cargo containers, trucks, vessels and railway cars.
• The Smart Autonomous Asset Network (SAAN) – This network is an aggregation of all
of a customer’s GT Communications Units, moving through the global supply chain and
communicating directly with their owner’s server along the way.
Globe Tracker case study
5. Vodafone partnership
According to GT, getting this service to market would simply not have been possible without
Vodafone and its team of dedicated Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications specialists.
Vodafone provides global M2M SIMs that come pre-installed in each GT Communications Unit.
Crucially, it also provides reliable and cost-effective network coverage that powers the system all
over the globe.
“When we first came up with the idea for this business we knew that we needed a global
communications partner that was capable of providing the necessary scale, network coverage and
price consistency to make it viable – Vodafone was the only serious global option,” says Don Miller,
Global Sales and Marketing Director for Globe Tracker.
“As a growing technology business, we understand that the market moves fast and it’s important
we always look to and plan for the future. With this in mind, Vodafone’s unrivalled knowledge and
expertise is going to be a key part of our future growth and success,” continues Miller.
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6. The impact
Manyorganisationswillbenefitfromthe
opportunity totransform theefficiencyoftheir
tradeoperations. Millerestimatesthatbetter
assetmanagement alone willmeanthataround
30%ofrefrigerationcontainerswillbeableto
makeoneextra journey peryear.Industrydata
alsosuggeststhatthe valueoffreshfishcanvary
byasmuchas60% basedonitsjourney
to market.
Anumberof benefitsare alreadybeingrealised
byearlyadoptersof the service.Bakkafrost,
a salmonspecialistfrom Iceland, isprofiting
becausethe GT solutionhas beendeployedby
Eimskip,itsshipping partner.Eimskip, hasbeen
a keyresearchpartnerforGTthroughoutthe
development of the newsystem.Asaresult
Bakkafrost isnowbenefiting commerciallyfrom
theincreasedvisibility it getsfromEimskip’s
abilityto share data.
ThesemetricsarealleasilymetwiththeGT
solution.ForBakkafrost,itrepresentsastep
forwardthatwillprovideitwithagenuine
competitiveadvantage:
“AtBakkafrostwearefocusedonprovidingthe
freshestandbestqualityproductpossible,”
saysSímunP.Jacobsen,SeniorSalesManager
forBakkafrost.“Itisourviewthathavingaccess
to realtimetemperaturedatafromourcarriers
allowsusto notonlymanageourproduct
better, butalsoenablesustofurtherdistinguish
ourselvesfromourcompetitors.Thefactthat
thiscouldalsoresultinareductioninour
insurancepremiumsisverycompelling.”
Additionally,TFHoldinganditsmarineinsurance
divisionTryggingarfelagiðFøroyar(TF)recently
announcedabreakthroughinsuranceproduct
thatrewardscargoshippersandlogistics
companiesforembracinganddrivingtraceability
bestpracticesacrosstheglobalsupplychain.As
aresultTFoffercustomersasignificantdiscount
ontheircargoinsurancepremiumswhen
theyagreetoprovidereal-timetrackingand
monitoringdata.
“Thisisareallyimportantbenefitthatwill
befeltbymanyotherbusinessesacrossthe
otherperishablegoodsindustries–itmeans
theywillbeabletodofullaudittrailsfrom
factorytosupermarketshelf–andthereare
alotofconcernsaroundfoodtraceabilityand
sustainabilityrightnow,”concludesMiller.
Globe Tracker case study
7. Business need:
The traditional technology used for tracking
assets on land and sea is rapidly reaching
its sell-by date. Legacy technology is a big
problem for industries like fishing, where the
ability to track the source and condition of a
product throughout its entire journey, from
catch to market is vital. Globe Tracker (GT) –
a pioneering asset tracking specialist –
wanted to solve the problem with a
comprehensive global solution based
on advanced M2M technology.
Solution:
Powered by Vodafone, GT has developed one
of the most advanced real-time tracking,
monitoring, remote management and secure
data solutions. The solution improves the
efficiency of customer’s globally disparate
assets, providing valuable data on their
containers located on the road, within
terminals or on vessels.
Business benefits:
• M2M technology enables shipping
companies and their customers to globally
track, monitor and remotely manage their
assets as they make their way through the
supply chain
• Detailed real-time data from each asset:
geospatial location, asset movement,
tampering, temperature, humidity, etc.
• Robust audit trail, enabling data to be sent
to customers, improving their efficiencies
and competitive edge
• Significantly reduced insurance premiums
for companies that choose shipping
partners using GT’s technology
Executive summary
“As a growing technology business, we understand that
the market moves fast and it’s important we always look
to and plan for the future. With this in mind, Vodafone’s
unrivalled knowledge and expertise is going to be a key
part of our future growth and success.”
Don Miller,
Global Sales and Marketing Director,
Globe Tracker
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8. m2m.vodafone.com
Vodafone Group 2014. This document is issued by Vodafone in confidence and is not to be reproduced in whole or
in part without the prior written permission of Vodafone. Vodafone and the Vodafone logos are trademarks of the
Vodafone Group. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective
owners. The information contained in this publication is correct at time of going to print. Such information may be
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