BioTrans' Transformation: Enhancing Service and Reliability with IoT
Technology Category
- Sensors - Environmental Sensors
- Sensors - Temperature Sensors
Applicable Industries
- Automotive
- Transportation
Applicable Functions
- Logistics & Transportation
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Last Mile Delivery
- Supply Chain Visibility
Services
- Testing & Certification
About The Customer
BioTrans is a leading provider of logistics services for the Laboratory Research transportation industry in North America. The company specializes in transporting temperature-sensitive cargo, such as research models, for their clients. This requires precise control over the temperature of each vehicle’s cargo hold throughout delivery. A variance of just a few degrees can have a significant impact on the integrity of a load, and each classification type requires a specific temperature range. BioTrans travels 7.5 million miles yearly with a fleet of 140 trucks and operates from 24 offices.
The Challenge
BioTrans, a leading logistics service provider for the Laboratory Research transportation industry in North America, faced a significant challenge in maintaining the integrity of their temperature-sensitive cargo. The company transports research models that require precise temperature control throughout delivery, with a variance of just a few degrees potentially compromising the load. Each classification type also requires a specific temperature range, adding to the complexity of the logistical challenge. Prior to implementing Samsara, BioTrans' quality control team could only effectively monitor temperatures for eight hours per day when someone was on shift. During the remaining 16 hours, drivers would not receive out-of-range temperature alerts, leading to cargo loss that cost BioTrans anywhere between $2,000 to $20,000 and damaged customer relationships.
The Solution
BioTrans adopted Samsara's comprehensive platform, which includes Vehicle Gateways, AI Dash Cams, Environmental Monitors (EMs), Door Monitors, Cargo Monitors, and Site Visibility. This platform provided critical visibility into deliveries and verified proper protocols. BioTrans created a custom 'Compartment Report' tile within the Driver App that allowed drivers to quickly upload cargo details, including the content being transported and its required temperature range. This data was instantly uploaded and emailed to their dispatch, QA, and operations departments, eliminating the need for time-consuming phone calls. BioTrans also built a custom bot, TempBot, that automated their temperature alerting. TempBot read the 'Compartment Report' data submitted by drivers, applied the correct alert for that load's specific temperature range, and triggered alerts based on real-time temperature data from Samsara EMs. If a temperature was out of range, TempBot deciphered the truck number and driver associated with the truck, then automatically notified the corresponding manager and QA department.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
Case Study missing?
Start adding your own!
Register with your work email and create a new case study profile for your business.
Related Case Studies.
Case Study
Integral Plant Maintenance
Mercedes-Benz and his partner GAZ chose Siemens to be its maintenance partner at a new engine plant in Yaroslavl, Russia. The new plant offers a capacity to manufacture diesel engines for the Russian market, for locally produced Sprinter Classic. In addition to engines for the local market, the Yaroslavl plant will also produce spare parts. Mercedes-Benz Russia and his partner needed a service partner in order to ensure the operation of these lines in a maintenance partnership arrangement. The challenges included coordinating the entire maintenance management operation, in particular inspections, corrective and predictive maintenance activities, and the optimizing spare parts management. Siemens developed a customized maintenance solution that includes all electronic and mechanical maintenance activities (Integral Plant Maintenance).
Case Study
Airport SCADA Systems Improve Service Levels
Modern airports are one of the busiest environments on Earth and rely on process automation equipment to ensure service operators achieve their KPIs. Increasingly airport SCADA systems are being used to control all aspects of the operation and associated facilities. This is because unplanned system downtime can cost dearly, both in terms of reduced revenues and the associated loss of customer satisfaction due to inevitable travel inconvenience and disruption.
Case Study
IoT-based Fleet Intelligence Innovation
Speed to market is precious for DRVR, a rapidly growing start-up company. With a business model dependent on reliable mobile data, managers were spending their lives trying to negotiate data roaming deals with mobile network operators in different countries. And, even then, service quality was a constant concern.
Case Study
Digitize Railway with Deutsche Bahn
To reduce maintenance costs and delay-causing failures for Deutsche Bahn. They need manual measurements by a position measurement system based on custom-made MEMS sensor clusters, which allow autonomous and continuous monitoring with wireless data transmission and long battery. They were looking for data pre-processing solution in the sensor and machine learning algorithms in the cloud so as to detect critical wear.
