Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Transport has selected Orbcomm as its telematics provider for its standard-fit programme outfitting refrigerated trailers in Europe.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Transport Europe (MTTE) is one of the largest providers of transport temperature control equipment worldwide. Orbcomm is to be the telematics supplier for its standard-fit programme outfitting refrigerated trailers in Europe.

Orbcomm and MTTE launched their OEM partnership at IAA Transportation in Hannover, Germany, this week.

MTTE will install Orbcomm’s temperature monitoring technology on its new, all-electric reefer units, which are eco-friendly to reduce air pollution and CO₂ emissions, lower maintenance costs and fulfil the requirements of last-kilometre driving.

MTTE customers can start accessing location and operational status data from their refrigerated trailers immediately through the Orbcomm platform with no aftermarket installation required, reducing their total cost of ownership. Maintenance crews can leverage reefer usage data, automated alerts, alarms and remote control to allow for quick corrective action to stay on top of reefer health, improve maintenance scheduling and reduce the risk of costly, on-the-road breakdowns.

By integrating data more efficiently with multiple new interfaces, MTTE customers can enable faster, real-time temperature monitoring, improve fuel efficiency, achieve compliance and reduce their environmental footprint. With Orbcomm’s telematics, MTTE customers can optimise asset use and overall fleet performance, while taking advantage of analytics to support data-driven decisions.

In addition, MTTE will offer Orbcomm’s temperature monitoring on the aftermarket to retrofit select reefer models in the field, enabling seamless integration with the Orbcomm platform. MTTE plans to expand Orbcomm’s technology to work with additional reefer models in the coming months.

MTTE customers who carry a mixed fleet from different reefer manufacturers can benefit from Orbcomm’s comprehensive reefer monitoring, which covers a large variety of makes and models. The integrated platform also enables those with multiple asset types, including trucks, vehicles, dry vans and refrigerated trailers, to view all their data about cargo temperature, load availability, workflow and drivers’ hours through a single pane of glass.

“We are excited to launch a strategic OEM partnership with MTTE, the pioneer in fully electric transport refrigeration, and join forces to provide customers with the next generation in temperature monitoring for the European market,” said Christian Allred, Orbcomm executive vice president. “Together, we will help customers make great strides in optimising their transport operations through real-time visibility and deep data insights about every aspect of their refrigerated fleet.”

Björn Reckhorn, MTTE managing director, added: “Orbcomm’s ability to provide best-in-class telematics for our refrigerated trailers enables us to seamlessly deliver the benefits of their advanced technology to a broader base of our European customers. We look forward to a long and successful partnership with Orbcomm as we continue to look for new ways to expand our standard-fit programme with their powerful reefer solution.”