RTLS Asset Tracking: Customizing cars outside in the yard

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Today, customers want an individual car, their car, not just a vehicle. More and more future automobile owners design their cars online, selecting from various options like horsepower, engine type, size, colours, external and internal equipment and features. Leather seats, sound station, entertainment system for the kids, rear mirror camera. Modern factories can customise a standard chassis to individual needs & wishes and provide a unique product and customer experience.

At the end of a long process, the moment arrives the individually crafted vehicle leaves the production line and is parked outside the building on a parking lot, together with several other thousand cars waiting to be picked up. A great moment, if you are organised.

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What does RTLS Asset Tracking mean?

RTLS Asset Tracking is an innovative technology that allows logistics and car companies to track, monitor and manage their assets, inventory, vehicles and personnel in real time. By leveraging radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology, RTLS asset tracking systems provide visibility of each asset’s journey, helping to ensure assets are secure, accounted for and in the right place on time.

These RFID tags and sensors communicate with the RTLS asset tracking system to provide location data and analytics. The system allows users to identify, detect, locate and monitor any asset or object that is equipped with a tag or sensor. This data can then be used to track and manage assets, inventory and personnel as they move through the supply chain, providing granular visibility and control.

RTLS asset tracking systems can be used in car logistics, enabling companies to track the whole journey of their vehicles. This can include tracking vehicle movement, fuel consumption and other performance-related data. In the warehouse, the system can be used to monitor the location of assets, helping to ensure assets are quickly located when needed. Additionally, the system can be used to keep track of personnel and to ensure they are working in the most efficient way.

The data collected by the system can be used to optimize operations, increasing productivity and reducing operational costs. For example, it can help reduce the time spent searching for assets as well as improve route optimization by optimizing delivery times and fuel consumption.

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Benefits of Asset Tracking in Car Logistics

Asset tracking is an important part of transport and logistics operations. By leveraging a radio frequency-based asset tracking system businesses can monitor and track their stock and assets as they move through the supply chain. With advancements in technology, businesses are also utilizing RTLS asset tracking systems to their advantage in car logistics.

RTLS offers car logistics businesses numerous benefits, such as improved operational efficiency, increased security and increased customer satisfaction. By using an RTLS tracking system, car logistics businesses can keep track of their fleet without the need for tedious manual processes. By tracking the exact location and movement of each vehicle, car logistics businesses can identify areas of their process that need improvement in order to increase efficiency. Additionally, the RTLS system provides 24/7 surveillance and real-time data updates across a large area, ensuring that your fleet is secured at all times. Finally, with improved visibility, car logistics businesses can provide customers with accurate updates on the progress of their orders and in turn, increase customer satisfaction.

Increased efficiency

An RTLS asset tracking system has the potential to significantly improve efficiency and productivity in car logistics. By using real-time tracking the system can identify when a certain asset needs to be moved, when it is being moved, and where to pick it up, providing a vast amount of information quickly and easily. This can help optimize work planning, ensuring that no time is wasted and resources are used effectively. Additionally, this data can also be used to improve accuracy in inventory management, eliminating manual entry and reducing inaccuracies from human error. Finally, the system can track the exact location of a vehicle in a vast parking space, making it easier to recover. All of these benefits can lead to major improvements in efficiency and productivity.

Improved Customer Satisfaction

The implementation of a Real-time Location System (RTLS) asset tracking system in car logistics has the potential to greatly improve customer satisfaction. By using these tracking systems, logistic managers can pinpoint the exact location of their vehicles at all times, allowing them to keep customers up to date on their car's progress during delivery. This transparency allows customers to feel more in control of the process, reducing their anxiety. Customers can also access real-time updates on their delivery status, giving them peace of mind that the car is on track for its expected delivery time. Implementing an RTLS asset tracking system can thus provide both fleet managers and customers with greater convenience and satisfaction.

Learn more about real-time locating and the success at the VW factory in Bratislava.

the way: process visibility everywhere

Seen from a process perspective, the manufactured and parked car is not finished yet. Quality control, tiny adaptations, cleaning, and fuelling are only the most apparent tasks to be done before the handover to the customer or a freight forwarder. Nearly every vehicle runs through a different process of final touches.

The conventional approach to organising the process of finalising a car would be by pencil and paper sheet. Every time the car is moved, the new position must be recorded. The same if a task is completed. As production factories use their ERP, all recorded data from the parking lot has to be entered into the system. This is not just time-consuming but also prone to human errors. As nearly every process step in the entire chain needs to be reported, it is difficult to ensure that these bookings are done properly.

One of the most important KPI’s for yard management is the annual throughput of cars. Terminal operators invest a high figure to ensure high productivity. Car manufacturing is a very competitive industry with no room for mistakes or wasting time. Stable and lean processes are a prerequisite to improving the throughput KPI, and Asset Agent is the missing link between your customer's happiness and your plant's productivity.

the missing link to full digitalisation: Asset agent

Asset Agent provides the visibility to run your operations efficiently. It is an upgrade to your existing planning system as it delivers real-time data of your process in the yard. It answers the question: What was done to which vehicle by whom and when? Real-time documentation is not only valuable to know the current status of a vehicle operation; it will also generate insights to improve productivity further. Process bottlenecks, fewer errors, higher quality, better resource planning are just a few benefits of using Asset Agent in car-customising processes in the yard. Asset Agent is an RTLS-based asset tracking system.

Asset Agent uses a multi-functional transponder that is temporarily associated with a specific car and creates automatic real-time entries in your ERP-System. Do you want to learn more about Asset Agent, a Real-time Locating System (RTLS)?

FAQs

- What is automotive logistic?
Automotive logistics is the transportation, distribution, and storage of vehicles and parts used in the production and assembly of cars. It includes the movement of parts and components from suppliers to production sites, delivery of parts and components to the assembly line, and delivery of the finished vehicles to customers.

- What are the benefits of automotive logistic solutions?
Automotive logistics solutions can help optimize processes and reduce costs by streamlining transport, inventory management, and other aspects of automotive production. This can result in improved efficiency, accuracy, and reliability for automotive manufacturers.

- How can automotive manufacturers improve their logistic processes?
Automotive manufacturers can improve their logistic processes by using data to track and process orders more quickly. Additionally, they can utilize predictive analytics to anticipate demand and plan supply chains accordingly. Automation and intelligent routing can also be used to further optimize processes.

Takeaway

Implementing RTLS asset tracking in car logistics can bring a myriad of advantages for businesses of all sizes. By enabling real-time tracking of vehicles, greater levels of efficiency and productivity can be achieved. Additionally, asset tracking can reduce losses, and improve visibility throughout the supply chain. Most importantly, improved customer satisfaction can be achieved by ensuring timely and accurate delivery of cars. As the technology continues to progress, greater levels of automation and insights into workflow can be acquired. All of this combined with cost-effective solutions makes RTLS asset tracking an excellent solution for companies in the car logistics industry.