Comcast-owned LoRaWAN operator MachineQ has developed an outdoor asset tracking solution for inventory management with US-based IoT hardware developer CoreKinnect. The pair have deployed more than 325,000 of the devices, along with 160 LoRaWAN gateways, at 80-odd locations in North America for ADESA, part of global wholesale used-vehicle digital marketplace operator KAR Auction Services.
ADESA is described as their ”flagship customer in the automotive industry”. The new solution provides “near real-time” positioning and inventory management of assets. The CoreKinnect has a life expectancy of seven years, on a single battery. The ADESA deal included 160 MachineQ Field16c gateways and 325,000 CoreKinect devices. The solution allows customers to integrate location data into their own business apps or use CoreKinect’s cloud app.
ADESA has used the solution, featuring GPS positioning and LoRaWAN backhaul, to streamline vehicle identification, location, and retrieval operations, they said. The firm has also been able to “accelerate sales and increase customer satisfaction”, they claimed. ADESA is fixing the IoT units to vehicles, and offering a cloud-based dashboard via the vehicle locator function in the ADESA marketplace app.
Steve Salata, vice president and general manager at MachineQ, said: “We’re seeing growing demand and the need for partners to navigate the complexities from design to deployment of enterprise-grade IoT solutions. By simplifying the entire process, we deliver a scalable and turnkey solution, which allows enterprises to transform their business operations and customer experience digitally.”
Ali Kozlica, executive chairman at CoreKinect, said: “World-class solutions require best-in-class partnerships. Together, we’ve achieved what was nearly impossible only a few years ago for our customer in the automotive industry. This solution will enable other use cases such as logistics and supply chain management.”
Srisu Subrahmanyam, chief operating officer at ADESA, said: “We are thrilled to be the first wholesale marketplace to fully rollout geo-locating devices to our entire network of North American vehicle logistics centers with the help of CoreKinect. This technology allows us to provide sellers with accurate, real-time visibility into the vehicle location and security, while enabling buyers to quickly and easily preview, checkout and transport purchased vehicles.”
