With the help of Sigfox 0G technology, Austrian Post always keeps an eye on its 50,000 roll containers and more than 2,000 swap bodies – for more efficient logistics processes and optimised procurement management.

In 2023 alone, the Austrian Post delivered around 4.1 billion letter and direct mail items as well as 200 million parcel items. A huge fleet of roll containers and a total of 2,400 swap bodies for truck transport is used for transport between the individual post offices, postal partners, logistics centres and delivery bases. To ensure smooth processes, these must always be available at the right time and in sufficient numbers at the various postal locations.

Together with Heliot, the IoT Competence Center (IoT CC) of the Austrian Post has developed a system that can be used to track the location of containers and swap bodies. Thanks to Sigfox 0G wireless technology, the Post has a precise overview of its assets and can thus efficiently synchronise their distribution, minimise transport routes and optimise the inventory of assets.

Tracking of 50,000 roll containers

Austrian Post processes several million letter and parcel items every day. A fleet of roll containers and more than 2,400 swap bodies are used for truck transport between the individual postal partners, post offices, logistics centres and delivery bases.

Problem

The roll containers play an important role in Austrian Post’s processes. Therefore, a sufficient number of containers must always be available at each post office location. So far, the distribution has been primarily based on experience. This was tedious and required the Austrian Post to keep a large number of containers as a buffer. For optimisation, those responsible would like to see more transparency.

Concept

The Austrian Post’s own IoT CC develops a concept together with Heliot Europe. The individual roll containers are equipped with Sigfox 0G transmitters. With every movement, the containers transmit their coordinates and a time stamp. The data is transmitted via the Sigfox wireless network and transferred to a cloud. It is retrieved, aggregated and analysed by the IoT CC via an interface. The location of the containers is then known. The data can be used to plan and optimise distribution more effectively.

Result

Austrian Post has been using the technology for around two years. In the meantime, around 50,000 of the mobile containers are already equipped with transmitters. Heliot’s technology makes it possible to make the distribution of containers much more efficient and precisely timed. The greater transparency allows Austrian Post to plan better and significantly reduce the buffer of containers. At the same time, the loss of individual containers can be avoided. The system not only helps to organise processes more efficiently, but also significantly reduces the costs for the roll containers and increases their service life.

Customer benefit

The transmitters with Sigfox 0G technology are particularly cost-effective and low-maintenance. They can be operated for years without the need to change the battery. The investment for Austrian Post is also kept within limits: the Sigfox network is now available almost nationwide in Austria and many other countries. This offers a further advantage: the containers can still be tracked even when they leave Austria. In the meantime, Austrian Post has also extended the project to its fleet of swap bodies used for road transport; around 1,000 of the 2,400 in total are already equipped with a transmitter.

Optimised processes require maximum transparency

Previously, distribution was based on experience and on call. If there were too few containers available in a logistics centre, those responsible had to call for supplies from other locations. This was time-consuming, often required nerves of steel and also necessitated additional investment: “In order to optimally supply all our locations, we previously had to keep a large proportion of our container stock as a buffer – especially in order to be able to cushion seasonal fluctuations around Christmas, for example. With the average cost of a container being 600 Euros, this means additional costs in the millions,” adds Franz Leitner, Head of Logistics Centres and Transport, Austrian Post.

It is clear to those responsible: in order to optimise the processes surrounding the roll containers, more transparency is required as to where the individual assets are located. They therefore commissioned the Austrian Post’s own IoT CC to find a solution. They turned to the IoT provider Heliot. The company, which now exclusively operates the Sigfox 0G network in many European countries, advises Austrian Post and develops a concept together with the IoT CC. The Sigfox 0G trackers specially optimised for this application are produced by Alps Alpine, a leading manufacturer of innovative IoT solutions. The result: the roll containers are gradually being equipped with transmitters. These transmit their location data to a cloud via the Sigfox-0G network. The data is then retrieved via an interface and analysed using a data tool developed in-house by IoT CC.

Container data evaluated precisely for employees

“We have now equipped around 50,000 of our roll containers with Heliot transmitters. Among other things, these transmit a signal with coordinates and a timestamp, ideally accurate to within a few metres, whenever they are moved. This means we know exactly where each of our roll containers is and when. Each asset has its own digital fingerprint. For example, we can also tell exactly what type of container it is,” says Lukas Alber, Data Engineer at Austrian Post’s IoT CC. “However, the individual data alone is not enough to improve our processes. That’s why we have developed an analysis tool that aggregates the data from all containers and displays it in a suitable format for our colleagues in the logistics centres or in procurement, for example.” For example, the managers of a logistics centre receive information via a dashboard or directly via a personalised email on how many roll containers are currently available, how many are expected to be needed and from which other locations they can request containers – in other words, all the information they need to cover their requirements.

One particular advantage of Heliot’s transmission technology is its service life. “Thanks to the Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technology, the transmitters that we use on Austrian Post’s containers are particularly low-maintenance,” says Martin Liboswar, Country Manager, Heliot Europe. “Once installed on the containers, they transmit their signal reliably for several years without the need to change the batteries.” The Sigfox technology operates in a frequency range of 868 MHz. The low-frequency signals in these radio bands can easily bridge greater distances of up to 50 kilometres – even if they are in more remote locations – and also penetrate thick steel beams and concrete walls. The Sigfox 0G network is now available almost everywhere in the DACH region and many other European countries. In addition to the DACH region, network coverage is also largely seamless in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Croatia, the Benelux countries and the Baltic states.

Container tracking even across national borders thanks to Sigfox 0G network

Heliot also found a solution for the few Austrian Post locations where the network was not quite optimal. “We developed local transmission technology that employees could install themselves with little effort and connect to the internet. This enabled us to achieve good network coverage in a very short time,” says Martin Liboswar.

The well-developed Sigfox 0G network has another advantage for Austrian Post: “Of course, we also have a lot of consignments that go abroad,” says Franz Leitner. “Keeping track of the roll containers that cross the border was not so easy in the past. Thanks to Sigfox’s cross-border network coverage in Europe, we can now keep an eye on our assets even when they are in Italy, Switzerland or Germany, for example.”

Heliot’s technology can be used for numerous Industry 4.0 applications and is particularly efficient – as there is no need to set up an independent wireless network, which is expensive and requires a lot of maintenance. The system is also freely scalable, regardless of whether 50 devices or tens of thousands of transmitters, as is the case at Austrian Post, need to be integrated into the network. Sigfox technology offers the highest security and data protection standards.

Austrian Post has been using the Heliot system for about two years. Rolling containers are constantly being fitted with the trackers. In addition, Austrian Post is now also using the technology to locate the 2,400 swap bodies that the company uses for road transport, of which around 1,000 are now equipped with a tracker. “Heliot’s technology enables us to organise the distribution of our assets much more efficiently,” says Franz Leitner. Thanks to the commitment of Heliot’s consultants, Austrian Post has found the optimal solution for processes.

The increased transparency also allows Austrian Post to plan better and significantly reduce the buffer of containers and swap bodies. At the same time, Austrian Post always has an overview of assets, which means it loses fewer containers and swap bodies. The system not only helps Austrian Post organise processes more efficiently, but also significantly reduces procurement costs and increases the service life of assets.