Michelin tracks sea-freight flows with an IoT-based solution developed with Sigfox and Argon Consulting

Michelin, the world-leading tire manufacturer, has actively participated in the development of this solution for the past 12 months and is an early-adopter of this solution, already in use on some of their critical inter-continental flows.

With more than 90M of containers shipped per year, out of which 20M by European companies, stakes are high in the worldwide Supply Chain market and its potential for IoT is massive. Companies have been seeking for many years an alternative to tackle the constraints of existing solutions: high costs, short battery life, non-proprietary solutions and difficulty to transmit from the inside of the container. Thanks to Sigfox technology, which is based on cost-efficiency and low-energy consumption, the solution positions itself today as the most competitive on the market.

One international shipment can involve more than 200 interactions and more than 25 actors such as freight-forwarders, in-land transportation companies, port handling, consignees, customs, shipping lines…. Consequently, shippers very often complain about the difficulty to get real-time visibility on their sea containers shipments. This lack of visibility reduces the supply chain agility and level of service for their final customers.

This innovative, easy-to-deploy and affordable solution provides freighters with a real-time geolocation service of their containers from the initial warehouse to the final point of delivery. It will bring operational value by reducing the lead-times, providing alerts about delays and ensuring appropriate transport conditions. Ultimately, it will enable the shippers to develop new services for their clients and potentially expand their business.

“The solution is independent from the maritime company and doesn’t require dedicated containers. The design and the ramp-up of the solution took few months. So, the effectiveness and affordability of the solution have convinced Michelin not only to deploy it internally but also to offer these services to other companies in cooperation with SigFox and Argon.