As the supply chain becomes increasingly complex, technology is growing more sophisticated to keep up. Connected intelligence company CalAmp on Thursday announced a new offering, the iOn Xtreme Temperature Tag, a smart sensor tag that can pair with a thermocouple probe to measure assets in extreme temperatures ranging from as low as minus 454 to as high as 752 degrees Fahrenheit. The new tech figures to be a boon to supply chain visibility for pharmaceuticals, vaccines and biological materials.
Supply chain visibility is more essential to pharmaceuticals than one might expect. Temperature deviations alone result in the forced disposal of over $15 billion — yes, billion — worth of pharmaceutical products every year. Taking into account the costs of damage analysis and product replacement, that number rises to $35 billion.
CalAmp’s (NASDAQ: CAMP) solution figures to reduce that statistic. After affixing the Xtreme Temperature Tag to an asset or container, the device tracks the location and ambient temperature reading of the asset at a customizable logging rate. It then transmits the data using the company’s proprietary Bluetooth Low Energy signal to CalAmp’s SC iOn visibility platform, which supports interactive mapping and can be integrated with application programming interfaces. The device is single-use, with a long battery life and shock and vibration resistance.
“When companies transport sensitive products and materials, they need real-time insight into shipment locations and ambient temperatures to identify and respond quickly to any deviations,” said Jeff Clark, senior vice president of product management at CalAmp. “We developed this Xtreme Temperature Tag to provide visibility and actionable intelligence — at the edge — so our partners and customers can act with agility, mitigate risks and protect these vital assets that so many lives depend upon.”
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The Xtreme Temperature Tags also have a built-in integration with the CalAmp Telematic Cloud (CTC) platform to upload data to the cloud in real time and enable end-to-end visibility of temperature-sensitive products. Using CTC, supply chain managers can moderate the Xtreme Temperature Tags and link data with existing supply chain management solutions through CalAmp’s API development support.
CalAmp’s new tech has already been deployed by partnering company Overhaul, a supply chain visibility service for global enterprises. Overhaul uses CalAmp’s sensors in its full-stack cold chain tracking solution to obtain end-to-end real-time visibility of its pharmaceutical shipments, including COVID-19 vaccines.
“Life sciences companies entrust us to facilitate the safe and efficient transport of essential shipments and provide visibility where companies need it most; end to end and in real time. This includes lifesaving pharmaceuticals, mission-critical vaccines and biological materials needed to advance new therapies and medicines,” said Barry Conlon, CEO and founder of Overhaul. “This extreme temperature tag provides our customers with new levels of visibility and greater confidence in the supply chain of highly perishable materials.”
Readers interested in learning more about the cutting-edge solutions and companies making waves in the cold chain space can check out FreightWaves’ coverage of its annual Cold Chain Summit.
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Jonathan Apperley
Thermocouples are wonderful devices with limitless applications, it’s nice to see their usage within another industry