Optimizing perishable goods logistics through IoT technology

Client

Our client is a prominent Eastern European food logistics company specializing in transporting perishable goods, particularly berries. Recognizing the critical need to ensure the quality and freshness of their products during transportation, they approached our team at Modsen to consult Logistics experts about the development of a truck temperature monitoring solution employing cutting-edge logisticstechnologies.

Challenge

Berry transportation technology requires the maintenance of the optimal temperature conditions throughout the drive to prevent spoilage and hence financial and partner trust losses. Our challenge was to create an IoT solution that could monitor and adjust the temperature inside truck containers carrying berries, ensuring their finest quality upon delivery. The challenge implied the following:

• Creating a real-time monitoring system for temperature conditions.
• Designing algorithms for adjusting temperature based on external weather factors.
• Ensuring seamless integration with the existing logistics framework.
• Providing a user-friendly interface for monitoring and control.
• Implementing security measures to protect against data breaches.

Development process

Requirements gathering and processing

To build a sustainable transportation solution for our partner, we initiated a series of in-depth product discussions to understand the specific requirements and challenges of transporting berries. Our Logistics experts collaborated closely with the partner team to gather insights into temperature fluctuations, storage conditions, and the impact on berry quality. These insights navigated our further work, defining the key software features, data processing algorithms, and integration points.

Planning

To ensure compliance with desirable deadlines, we meticulously planned the development process, following Agile methodologies and best practices worked out at Modsen. This phase included drafting a comprehensive document outlining resource allocation, milestones, essential functionalities, and industry-specific regulations. The collaborative approach toward planning ensured alignment with the client's goals, providing a clear roadmap for the project under development.

Team assembly

We’ve crafted dozens of smart Logistics solutions for our partners from various segments of the industry which equipped us with the broad outlook and in-depth expertise necessary for delivering leading-edge transportation software products. At Modsen, for each industry we work with, we have a specialized expert team ready to address the intricacies of a particular domain. To assemble a tailored team from in-house Logistics engineers, the company CTO focused on selecting seasoned talents with expertise in IoT technology, ML, and data analysis. The team selection process included CTO-headed interviews and technical assessments followed by client approval of each specialist involved.

Design

Our UI/UX Design Studio experts embarked on ideating an intuitive interface for real-time truck temperature monitoring and control software. The design phase involved wireframing, conducting user experience research, and prototype testing. The key goal was to provide logistics personnel with a visually understandable and efficient tool for managing temperature conditions during berry transportation.

Product building

The development of real-time temperature control software for quality assurance in berry transportation implied leveraging advanced IoT tools and best industry practices. The process was broken down into the following core steps:

• Choosing IoT temperature sensors with the capability to communicate bidirectionally and selecting temperature control devices.
• Implementing a robust communication protocol for data transmission and ensuring it supports both monitoring and control functions.
• Integrating a temperature control system capable of adjusting conditions inside the truck and implementing algorithms for real-time adjustments based on sensor data.
• Setting up an IoT gateway and ensuring it can process and transmit control commands securely.
• Utilizing a Cloud platform for handling data monitoring and control commands.
• Developing algorithms for processing temperature data and generating control commands.
• Implementing features for remote control and monitoring.
• Strengthening security measures to protect against unauthorized access.
• Ensuring compliance with regulations governing temperature control during transportation.

Comprehensive testing

The thorough testing approach aimed to guarantee the flawless operation of the IoT solution, with a particular emphasis on real-world scenarios in berry transportation. Our QA team conducted extensive testing under various conditions to validate the control system's effectiveness and tested the responsiveness of the system to both monitoring and control commands.

Integration

Approaching the completion of the IoT solution development and testing, our experts compiled comprehensive technical documentation and user guidelines for the seamless integration of the software into the client's existing logistics framework. We also consulted our partner on installing the integrated system in trucks, ensuring the proper configuration of control devices, and conducted thorough testing during the software deployment to ensure its functionality.

Servicing and further cooperation

Following our commitment to long-term partnerships, we provided ongoing support and remained connected with the client to address any emergencies or adjust the system. Over the 2 years, our continued cooperation has allowed the logistics company to stay at the forefront of temperature-controlled transportation, ensuring the freshness and quality of their berry deliveries.

Result

The development of the IoT for perishable goods logistics solution resulted in a predictable feasible enhancement of the supply chain management and elimination of uncontrolled berry spoilage. The software built by our team is functioning properly, ensuring stable business performance of our partner’s business.