How Will Sensing Technology Revolutionize Tracking and Tracing Processes in Supply Chain Management?

Sensor technology changes the way businesses manage traceability data to provide insights that cannot be given by standard information.

Fremont, CA: Heading towards the new era of smarter food safety, considering the interoperability of different technologies implemented within the supply chain, has become vital. Businesses have complementary pieces of information stored in various systems, and it is not very easy for them to make use of this data. It prevents firms from gaining a complete picture of their supply chain. Terms that were once considered buzzwords like real-time visibility, the cloud, the Internet of Things (IoT), predictive analytics, and blockchain can now change the control process of the food supply chain. The increasing demand for transparency and traceability is putting these technologies at the forefront.

Food track-and-trace-technology, including blockchain, is already playing a role in food traceability by utilizing distributed ledger technology that renders another level of transparency and trust by making data immutable. These technologies allow locating products in a matter of seconds. However, when these technologies work in silos, the benefits reaped out of them is less than when connected. An example would be how real-time temperature monitoring changes the way perishable foods are transported.

The traceability data can provide insights about where a product started and is traveling through the supply chain when scanned at each touchpoint. However, it cannot tell how safe the product is. On top of the traceability information, if businesses can layer rich details such as time, temperature, location, and other sensing data, they can develop the trust that their products are safe for consumption.

The sensor and cloud technology, when integrated, allows each participant of the supply chain, including producers, warehouses, logistics partners, and distribution centers, to access product quality data captured in real-time through IoT devices. Data are automatically stored in a cloud software platform containing information about a single shipment or the entire supply chain. These data provide more granular information about the product quality during shipment. 

See also: Top Supply Chain Tech Companies