OVINTO SAT - MONITORING THE CONDITION AND LOCATION OF CARGO

SOLUTION BRIEF

Ovinto Sat is an Internet of Things (IoT) asset management solution for the transport, logistics and distribution industry. Developed by Belgian-based Globalstar Value Added Reseller, Ovinto, it gives customers details about the location and condition of cargo being transported, including pressure and temperature as well as other environmental factors such as if the shipment has suffered any impact due to a crash or derailment.

At the heart of Ovinto Sat is Globalstar’s low power, tiny STX3 chipset. Satellite is the preferred communication option because of its high availability, reliability and low power consumption compared to GSM.

Because it is battery powered, Ovinto Sat allows customers to monitor materials in unpowered environments including rail tank cars and containers.

THE CHALLENGEUS specialist beer distributor, B. United International, needed to find a way to transport craft beers originating from around the world in temperature-controlled tank containers that would ensure the highest flavour and aroma quality yet be cost-effective.

Unlike commercial beers, craft beers use complex yeast strains and are notoriously difficult to transport because natural re-fermentation can increase the CO2 level often making the beer undrinkable.

THE SOLUTIONB. United has deployed Ovinto Sat to monitor the location, temperature and pressure of hundreds of beer, cider and mead brands as they are imported in tank containers from breweries worldwide. Thanks to Ovinto Sat, B. United now benefits from real-time data about the condition of the beer in each container, and its precise location, even when it is in transit across the ocean or anywhere on land where GSM/cellular signal is limited, unreliable or non-existent.

OVINTO SAT CARGO TRACKING AND MONITORING

THE STX3’S LOW POWER CONSUMPTION MEANS THE BATTERY CAN LAST UP TO EIGHT YEARS WITHOUT RECHARGING.

28.70 mm

20.5

7 m

m

B United - monitoring craft beer while it is shipped around the world

Globalstar STX3 Chipset

In late 2015, B. United trialled the Ovinto Sat system and fitted satellite-connected sensors in a 14,000-litre tank of beer to carefully monitor the temperature, pressure and location.

The trial was a great success, resulting in zero waste. It also gave B. United a better understanding of the shipment’s journey to optimise its supply chain relationships. In spring 2016, B. United installed Ovinto Sat in all of its tank containers, each having four temperature-controlled compartments. Ovinto Sat collates data from various sensors and GPS data in each of B. United’s containers and sends it securely over Globalstar’s satellite network to B. United’s Connecticut headquarters. THE RESULTSThe satellite data brings new levels of transparency to the beer distribution industry. B. United now publishes live data about each tank container of beer. By sharing this information with both hospitality industry business customers and consumers, B. United underscores its commitment to freshness and quality in the world of artisanal brews.

The rich, granular data ensures that B. United minimises the beer’s exposure to pressure and temperature fluctuations, resulting in complex brews all naturally refermenting and tasting exactly the same on arrival in the US as when they left the brewery in their country of origin.

“The reliability and affordability of Globalstar’s satellite technology makes it possible for us to access and publish data even when the shipment is in the middle of the ocean. Thanks to this first Internet of Beer technology, our customers and partner breweries can see with their own eyes that the assumed trade-off between quality, freshness, cost, waste and distance can be eliminated. This new paradigm allows us to give all our customers brews of the highest flavour and aroma complexity with absolutely no compromise,” Neidhard added.

One of B. United’s customers which supplies craft beer to the US market is Belgian-based De Dolle Brouwers. Owner, Kris Herteleer, commented, “By bringing technology innovation into the craft beer sector, B. United is introducing unprecedented levels of transparency on the condition of our beer as it travels to the US. This innovation demonstrates our shared commitment to delivering the best possible product to American beer drinkers.”

“AFTER A JOURNEY OF TEN DAYS FROM EUROPE OR FOUR WEEKS FROM JAPAN, THE TASTE OF CRAFT BEERS CAN CHANGE. ON ARRIVAL IN THE US, WE REVIEW THE DATA FROM OVINTO AND ANALYSE SAMPLES IN OUR LAB TO DETERMINE THE BEST WAY OF PUTTING IT IN KEGS,”- MATTHIAS NEIDHART, FOUNDER, B. UNITED.

OVINTO SAT - MONITORING THE LOCATION AND CONDITION OF EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS ACROSS EUROPESABIC, a leading global supplier of petrochemicals, has equipped its entire European fleet of rail tank cars with Ovinto Sat. Since it transports potentially explosive materials across the continent, safety is paramount for SABIC. As well as supporting safety goals, Ovinto Sat has helped SABIC optimise its supply chain operations and to enhance partner relationships.

Ovinto Sat collates data from various sensors and GPS in each of SABIC’s 500 rail tank cars and sends it securely over the Globalstar Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network to customer headquarters at regular user-defined intervals.

Thanks to the high reliability and ubiquitous reach of Globalstar’s satellite network, SABIC, its partners, customers and other stakeholders have timely and accurate information about the status of every asset in its tank car fleet. Access to real-time data ensures a precise understanding of delivery times and allows SABIC to act more speedily and efficiently. Ovinto Sat and Globalstar technologies enable SABIC to know

immediately whether a rail tank car has been loaded or unloaded or is ready to be redeployed, thereby helping to maximise the long term value of each asset.

“Thanks to Ovinto Sat and Globalstar, we are in an even better position to service our customers, and work with our suppliers and all the other stakeholders in the supply chain to get the chemicals where and when they are needed and to be assured that our fleet is being used as efficiently as possible,” she added.

“KEEPING TRACK OF A LARGE FLEET OF RAIL TANK CARS, DISPERSED ALL OVER EUROPE, IS CRUCIAL. OUR RAIL TANK CARS CONTAIN ALL SORTS OF MATERIALS, AND IT IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL THAT WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO TRACK AND MONITOR THE STATUS OF ALL OF THEM AND THEIR CONTENTS AT ALL TIMES.”- JUDITH KLEINEN, CATEGORY MANAGER LAND TRANSPORT & SPOT SHIPPING SUPPLY CHAIN, CHEMICALS AT SABIC

Contact Ovinto - www.ovinto.comGloblstar products are distributed in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa by Globalstar Europe Satellite Services Ltd., a company that offers satellite voice

and data services to commercial and recreational users in more than 120 countries around the world. For more information, visit eu.globalstar.com