|
Asset Tracking – Forget it
Ajit Jere Head – Business Solution group Magnasoft Consulting India Pvt. Ltd. Bangalore
Introduction
“Wherever you are, we will track you” said one company. “An eye on your mobile asset” said another. System vendors are coming with catchy slogans to draw the attention of many logistic and transportation companies who are in dire need of an affordable yet practical logistic management solution. There are more than 50 companies in India who claim to have an Indianised tracking and logistic solution but none seems to be successful in implementing one. Though there is a definite market and the logistic companies have expressed their desire to deploy such solutions but there seems to be some problem somewhere which needs to be examined. The Need For effective fleet and logistic management, timely arrival and dispatch is essential. Further it is important to ensure that the mobile asset (vehicle or consignment) touches the en-route points as per schedule. In the conventional system, mobile asset tracking is brought about manually by posting traffic controllers/timekeepers at important points. This does not provide 100% coverage, since it is dependent on human alertness and prone to errors. It also proves to be expensive, can be tampered, and the data generated in the form of entries in the registers do not lend themselves easily for computer processing. The process of delivering goods and services is changing as corporations restructure distribution channels and re-engineer inefficient practices. To remain competitive, it is essential to reduce expenditure and build up capacities of "just-in-time" inventory management.  Efficient operations require accurate, timely decision-making. Knowledge of the location of vehicles, pickup schedules and delivery schedules at any given point of time, leverages assets for optimum deployment and cost savings. Spatial Data Management and Information System (earlier called Geographical Information System) helps in providing this critical information to improve customer satisfaction, competitive position, timely response, effective deployment and profitability. The Technology A Mobile Asset Tracking System (MATS) may be defined as a system, which enables the fleet operator to determine the location of a vehicle or a consignment, from the point of dispatch to the destination point, against time. The data generated by MATS helps in vehicle scheduling and provides important inputs for decision-making. Basically the solution consists of the following four components;
Page 1 of 3
| Next | |