Ericsson‘s Internet of Things (IoT) business and DeltaTrak announced a partnership – via Deutsche Telekom – to promote cold chain traceability advances enabled by the Ericsson IoT Accelerator platform.
In a statement, Ericsson said the partnership would improve food chain visibility, promote food and drug safety, and hence minimise waste while enabling sustainability and environmental awareness in transit operations by delivering real-time tracking data for perishable food and biopharmaceutical items in transit.
Deutsche Telekom, a major integrated telecommunications company and an Ericsson IoT partner, delivers the dependable and secure worldwide connectivity required for real-time data transmission.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, food loss and waste in the United States alone result in 170 million metric tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, excluding emissions from discarded food sent to landfills, emphasising the need to work towards waste elimination.
In the midst of global logistics disruptions, widespread food shortages, and environmental disasters, DeltaTrak and Ericsson IoT are collaborating to reduce food waste and, as a result, have a positive sustainability impact. According to the United Nations, the number of undernourished persons in the globe increased by around 150 million between 2019 and 2022. And, while many people labour to get food to those in need, much of it is at risk of rotting in transportation.
DeltaTrak, as a Deutsche Telekom customer, will leverage the power of Ericsson’s IoT Accelerator platform to obtain real-time tracking data for perishable items throughout the transit process, realising the benefits of IoT in food and pharmaceutical logistics by increasing safety and reducing waste. Approximately one-third of all food produced in the world is lost or wasted, emphasising the significance of having comprehensive and real-time data on food in transit to guarantee proper environmental parameters such as humidity and temperature are maintained.
Apart from food spoiling during transport, another issue is that 5-10 per cent of shipping containers are routinely quarantined upon arrival at port, pending temperature verification. When these containers are opened, the contents are vulnerable to loss and waste. DeltaTrak tracking devices put inside containers may give essential environmental condition data without breaching the product’s seal by leveraging Ericsson IoT’s connectivity management platform via Deutsche Telekom IoT SIM cards and connectivity.
“Representing the latest innovations from DeltaTrak, the cellular IoT enhancements enable our patented ecosystem offerings to deliver end-to-end chain of custody capabilities. Actionable data visibility from real-time FlashTrak Chain of Custody eCosystem can improve product shelf-life, reduce spoilage, food waste, and CO2 emissions,” DeltaTrak Founder and CEO Frederick Wu said.
Ericsson IoT General Manager Kyle Okamoto stated improving cold chain tracking technology improves the food logistics business, but the benefits go beyond that.
“By boosting real-time traceability of location and environmental conditions through Ericsson’s IoT Accelerator platform and Deutsche Telekom connectivity, we will significantly promote supply chain transparency by eliminating blind spots and allowing goods to be monitored from origin to destination. This in turn will also help the environment and contribute to a more sustainable future,” said Kyle Okamoto, General Manager of Ericsson IoT,” Okamoto added.
DeltaTrak now has reliable and secure global connectivity thanks to the collaboration of Ericsson IoT and Deutsche Telekom, which is crucial for monitoring and reporting transport conditions to stakeholders along the cold chain, according to Ericsson.
