Sierra Wireless has launched Acculink Cargo, a managed IoT offering that companies can deploy to track the location and condition of high-value and sensitive assets.

Delivered as a service for a single monthly fee, Acculink Cargo leverages Canada-based Sierra Wireless’ expertise in IoT devices, global connectivity and cloud to deliver a single offering companies can use to monitor the near real-time status of assets anywhere in the world, as they move through their supply chains.

Asset tracking and other supply chain visibility products are a large and rapidly growing market. Mordor Intelligence valued the asset tracking market at $17.14bn in 2020, and expects this market to grow to $34.82bn by 2026, at a compound annual growth rate of 13.45%. The ecommerce boom has increased the need for companies to track assets.

Acculink Cargo enables electronics manufacturers, cold-chain carriers, general freight carriers, food and produce shippers, and third-party logistics firms to gain the supply-chain visibility they require to avoid shipping delays, reduce dwell time, prevent theft and remediate environmental conditions that can lead to asset damage.

In addition to tracking the location of these assets, Acculink Cargo can also alert users if an asset is exposed to light, changes in temperature, humidity, shock, or other conditions that might spoil or damage it.

It integrates edge devices, global network connectivity and a cloud-based application, supporting deployment in as little as 30 days, with low start-up costs.LTE cellular wireless networks in combination with GPS data lets users pinpoint the location of their assets.

The cloud-based application has a simple, intuitive user interface with customisable dashboards and configurable alerts. Users can set up specific geolocation, light, temperature, humidity and shock conditions they want to monitor for each shipment. They can also adjust when data on these conditions are updated, allowing them to extend the battery life of their edge devices. And they can analyse real-time and historical shipping data to uncover trends and other information that can help them make better business decisions.

“When it comes to high-value and sensitive assets, companies no longer want to just track their location as they travel through their supply chains,” said Rupal Nanavati, vice president at Sierra Wireless. “Today, they expect to be able to monitor the condition of these assets in near real time as well. Acculink Cargo addresses these needs, with an easy-to-deploy, fully integrated managed solution from the global leader in IoT.”

Acculink Cargo is sold on an as-a-service basis, lowering initial upfront investment, while allowing users to scale up or down as their business needs change. Customers have the option to purchase devices upfront, and only pay for connectivity and the application on a subscription basis. Alternatively, they can sign up for a complete managed IoT service, with a single monthly fee that covers devices, network and application access.

Acculink Cargo is available throughout North America. Sierra Wireless plans to expand availability to other regions in the future.