How does asset management inside a typical manufacturing company look like?

Every day, trucks and carriers unload the pallets containing parts and components at the manufacturing facility. After several quality checks, the components are redirected to the assembly line, where they are turned into the final product and distributed to the market. Although it is relatively easier for manufacturers to keep the processes as streamlined as possible within their facilities owing to the proximity, they cannot maintain the same level of visibility and control when it comes to asset sourcing and management outside of the manufacturing facility.

The reason being that the various components coming into the facilities are often sourced from specialised vendors dispersed across the globe. Since these components pass through multiple warehouses, subcontractors, and locations, it becomes a tedious task for manufacturers to track or manage these assets from one place, leading to a lack of transparency and visualisation. And in certain cases, since some subcontractors involved in the supply chain are unwilling to share all the information with the manufacturers, it prevents manufacturing companies from achieving the highest ROI. Above all, as many non-powered assets are not connected to the internet, manufacturers tend to face the issues of unused assets, stock shortages or under/overcapacity, which further impede their manufacturing processes.

What if there was a more efficient way to achieve this visibility needed for streamlining their entire asset management supply chain?

Enter Sensolus—an Industrial IoT specialist offering an end-to-end asset management platform. Now, manufacturers can track their assets no matter where they are located in the world and streamline their overall supply chain processes.

In fact, the company’s asset management platform has become a single-stop solution for multiple use cases—whether a manufacturer operates via multiple warehouses, multiple subcontractors, or only one large—but fairly complex workflow—warehouse. All the assets or goods within the warehouses, powered or non-powered, can be easily connected to the internet using Sensolus without any need for any additional configuration or infrastructure.

Sensolus’s solution converges cloud and edge intelligence to track assets in a reliable, energy-efficient way, ensuring both profitability and sustainability. “With our asset management system, we are not only enhancing productivity for our customers but also reducing their supply chain carbon footprints by removing unnecessary inefficiencies along the sourcing pathways through actionable insights,” says Kristoff Van Rattinghe, co-founder and CEO of Sensolus. By creating a digital twin for all the components in the supply chain, the clients can have better control over their asset movement and enhance their decision making. The end result is an accelerated supply chain with minimal operational risks, complete visibility, and augmented manufacturing capability.

Tackling the Asset Tracking Challenges

The true value of Sensolus’ asset management solution lies in the actionable insights that it brings to the clients. Whether an asset is in the wrong flow, ready for pickup, or dormant for several days, Sensolus can detect any process anomalies or suspicious movements and send alerts and insights to clients on their preferred digital devices—through a device management layer accessed via a mobile or web application. The solution also provides the option for clients to organise asset data into standardised, insightful reports that can be leveraged to pinpoint problem areas, bolster decision making, and even enhance auditing.

Enabling these feats are the company’s robust self-sustainable, battery-powered trackers, which can connect even the clients’ non-powered assets to the internet.

With our asset management system, we are not only enhancing productivity for our customers but also reducing their supply chain carbon footprints by removing unnecessary inefficiencies along the sourcing pathways through actionable insights

Since the trackers have a battery life of up to five years, clients can expect uninterrupted updates regarding their assets without the need for constant service or battery-change. Moreover, Sensolus also extends the option of externally-powered and beacon trackers, based on the specific requirement of clients. And no matter how many trackers the clients deploy, all of them can be seamlessly managed and their insights extracted via Sensolus’ asset management platform.

A Winning Technological Symbiosis that Breeds Success

According to Van Rattinghe, the most notable aspect of Sensolus’ end-to-end asset tracking solution is the convergence of hardware and software; “the clients don’t have to leverage different solution or service providers as we take care of the entire asset tracking function.” And since the platform’s API can directly integrate with other ERP systems, clients don’t have to invest in additional ‘in-between’ infrastructure to trace the assets. Sensolus’ solution can also be integrated with other software that the clients might be leveraging in their supply chain processes, paving the way for additional optimisations. As Van Rattinghe says, “Onboarding Sensolus’ solution is not just about optimising the clients’ supply chain infrastructure, it is about deriving value from the gathered data and generating revenue.”

Illuminating the Path to Success and Sustainability

A testament to the company’s role in revolutionising asset management is the role it played in digitalising Airbus’ supply chain processes. As the largest aircraft manufacturer, Airbus had thousands of assets moving from suppliers to their assembly sites. However, the challenge was in ensuring that these assets reached the right place in the right time, undamaged. After an in-depth study of different metering and tracking solutions in the market, Airbus decided to choose the most mature and energy-efficient provider, Sensolus.

In no time, Sensolus made all the non-powered assets in Airbus’ supply chain visible and smart. It started by connecting all of the returnable containers in the supply chain, making it so that the client could easily track the movement of thousands of components sourced across various global warehouses and international departments. As a result, the aircraft manufacturing giant was not only able to eliminate delays and streamline its supply chain but also gain a greater level of control over their entire logistics process. Today, even if some unexpected problem arises at any of the component locations, Airbus can easily get notifications regarding the same and quickly sort out the issues in their supply chain.

This is but one of the many success stories that Sensolus has scripted over the years; all thanks to Van Rattinghe and his team of asset management specialists. Leaning on their expertise—all of whom have worked on the other side of the fence for decades—Sensolus has a firm grasp on the potential challenges and inefficiencies that lie in the asset tracking realm. “Our real-time visibility solution ensures that our clients don’t have to suffer through the same problems,” says Van Rattinghe.

Today, driven by its impeccable workforce and cutting-edge asset management solution, Sensolus is witnessing worldwide renown and growth. The company’s technology is being adopted by 400 industrial customers (with more than 120,000 connected assets) across different market segments. “Unlike a few years ago, when IoT was just a trend, today it is becoming a necessity for companies seeking to tighten their supply chain and production cycles,” states Van Rattinghe. Moving forward, its role in the industrial landscape will become even more pronounced. Preparing for the upcoming demand for robust IoT solutions, Sensolus is busy forming new partnerships worldwide and cementing its footprint in multiple countries. With such strategic expansions, Sensolus intends to continually improve what it does best—offering advanced and cost-effective asset tracking solutions to large, medium, and small-sized organisations. The future, therefore, shines bright for the company.