Case Study

IoT & Logistics Operations Management System

Type of projectWeb App

IndustryEnergy & Utility, Retail & eCommerce

LocationUSA

Technology.NET

Product Description

For this project, we collaborated with a large-scale Logistics Company situated in Canada to improve their logistics management system and develop an application for handling on-premises and fleet IoT devices. Our client faced various complexities and barriers in their business growth due to their previous third-party software. For enhancing their productivity, they want to link all their departments through a single secure application.

Our client comes on the list of a top domestic logistics company in Canada and delivers to every province, international couriering to nearby countries, such as the USA and Mexico. To improve their business in Canada and widen it to other American, European and Asian countries, they want an online platform connected with their internal system.

Challenges

Our team of IoT Application development follow the Agile development methodology for this IoT logistics application. To collect crucial details and understand the core IoT operations, we went on-site.

As a result, we had an in-depth understanding of the client’s requirements and challenges.

Different Apps for handling Multiple IoT Devices in Logistics

For managing the in-house operations, we installed various IoT devices to scan the products and place them on the right conveyer belt, leading to the fleet vehicle. Every device was running on a different operating system, and for accessing, configuring, maintaining, and updating them, our client was using multiple applications.

The primary requirement was to have a single IoT application where all the IoT devices are listed, and administrators have access to modify their work. Our client wants to eliminate the complexities of using different applications particular to a single device.

No Customer Portal

The organization did not have any online portal where customers could input their queries, track their parcels, and request a pickup. Every customer has to call or email them for such purposes.

It was affecting their revenue, productivity, and customer satisfaction. Also, it delays the pickups due to misplacement of the order details. To prevent such incidents in the future, our team has a detailed meeting to provide consultation, helping our clients have a clear sight of their need for an online customer portal.

Inaccurate Fleet Tracking

Our client has a large fleet of trucks, delivery vans, and other company vehicles to pick up parcels from customers and transport employees from their stops to the working area. Every vehicle has a GPS, engine health analyzer, accelerometer, and some more IoT devices for real-time tracking.

Most of the vehicles support ODB (On Board Diagnostic) connection, we have tried to implement one generalized solution that talks with an ODB device attached inside a vehicle and it provides various analytics and real time data of vehicle like current speed, location, engine status, coolant, and oil status.

This solution enabled us to communicate with any third-party systems, mainly our own custom solution. Our client was also facing the main drawback of fleet devices’ incompatibility with the third-party software they were using in the warehouse. They want to link the fleet with the customer portal and at the employee’s end to provide real-time updates.

It will help the employee manage the data and perform the appropriate next step if the customer faces any problem. In addition, it will reduce the support team’s workload, as previously, they have to contact the driver or another warehouse employee to update the current status.

In addition, our client wants to enable alerts and notifications for the fleet management department to service the vehicles at the right time and send alerts to emergency services if any accident or unusual happens.

Parcel Management in Warehouse

With their previous system, our client was having difficulty managing the parcels, as there was the probability of packing goods in the wrong sack. There was no definite system to provide an id to every parcel and move it to the proper dispatch gate.

Our client demanded a system handling scanning, packing, and moving parcels inside the warehouses. Also, the client wants to adjoin a separate interface for administrating urgent deliveries.

Difficulty in Retrieving Real-time Updates

Employees of the logistics company have to update all the data manually, whether it’s financial information or dispatch updates.

With the rapidly evolving market, the enterprise started analyzing a decrease in their customers and for retaining them, a new system providing up to the minute was the basic necessity.

Moreover, our client added a requirement to adjoin machine learning to create accurate graphs and charts and support the organization in making better decisions.

Workforce Management

There are different sections in the warehouse, and each department has its workforce. Our client demanded software that can track the attendance of the human resource, calculate their leaves and update the salary in the database.

It will help the finance department to have a better understanding of the company’s expenditure. Furthermore, the logistics company requires an OTP-based delivery system to ensure that the legitimate person has got the parcel.

Data Security and Digitization

Securing the customer data was one of the primary requirements of our associate. Daily, they deal with extensive personal information, such as name, address, and mobile number.

Our ally wants to embed advanced security mechanisms to ensure customers that their data is in safe hands and that only authorized persons have access to it.

Solution

To cover our client’s edge-to-edge requirements, our .NET development team has delivered a business application with the following functionalities and features.

Single App for Handling all IoT Devices

To make our client hassle free from all the unnecessary applications for configuring IoT devices, we embed a custom interface in their new business application, which displays a list of all the smart devices in the network and allows the administrator to install new updates all peripherals through a single interface.

Our centralized solution runs alongside with client’s IoT devices considering the fact that all IoTs are now able to communicate with our one single business application which was developed specifically with the talking centralization concept in mind.

A Dedicated Online Solution for Customers

We have furnished a full-fledge application providing comfort to both employees and customers. It enables all the customers to download the App on their device or access it using a web browser for tracking their orders in real-time.

In addition, if the parcel’s status shows out-of-delivery, the stakeholders were able to see the current location of the personnel. Thanks to our smart ODB IoT centralized business solution, all customers can real-time track the status of their parcel including ETA to reach their home via vehicle IoT diagnosis.

For security purposes, we have added 2FA to each and every platform to ensure the security of clients’ valuable information. With help of third-party notification system solutions like Twilio, Gotify, and our custom Firebase push notification system, customers can easily get a notification of their package at each potential midpoint.

Also, all the associates could request a pickup by entering their details through the application and performing their tasks without waiting for a staff member to pick up their call and visit the nearby logistics store.

Fleet Tracking Integration

The IoT and .NET experts in our team updated the firmware of all the devices and linked them to the application using custom in-house build APIs and plugins. We ran a deep analysis of all of the client’s different IoT devices and came up with a .NET core IoT solution that ran on top of Windows IoT Core OS, hence leveraging the native .NET APIs alongside IoT devices.

Our system can communicate with different sensors and IoT devices via a centralized API solution which helped us in providing the solution via minimally modifying the existing IoT devices. As a result, the organization could fetch live fleet locations, and technicians could maintain engine health and efficiently streamline operations without using any external tool.

Up-to-the Second Updates

With the new business software, our client could view the current processing of all the procedures. Furthermore, adjoining a report generating plugin aids their operations team to create accurate strategies, enhancing internal and external executions.

Besides this, the customer satisfaction rate was also booming along with the revenue.

Automated Goods and Human Resource Management

To move the right package on the correct conveyer belt, we installed scanners and provided its control through App at the organization’s end. Also, if any order is going in the wrong way, it will send an alert and stop that parcel using support machinery.

And for maintaining the workforce-related, our team linked fingerprint scanners. Whenever the employee enters or leaves the premises, it will note the date and time and update it in the centralized database.

Assurance of data CIA

For assuring data integrity and confidentiality, we implement hashing mechanisms. And for strengthening the overall security, our security team enables multi-factor authentication, user-based authorization, HTTPS, packet analyzers, and other vital security tools.

We provide post-development services to our clients, where we consistently monitor their application and patch it with the latest updates, ensuring to prevent zero-day attacks. Furthermore, for internal devices security, we have issued dedicated SSLs for each and every internal IoT device which communicates with our centralized server over HTTP.

For example, ODB server in-vehicle sends data to our master server through HTTPS. Most 802.11 wireless standards which transmit the packet over HTTP are now secured from Man in the Middle attack vis SSL.

Result

By adapting our legacy application modernization fabricated by Positiwise Software Pvt Ltd, our client was able to achieve the following accomplishments:

There was a stable connection between all the IoT peripherals, and the legitimate authority could handle all the devices using a single software.
It streamlines the core operations of every department, leading to optimizing productivity and user satisfaction rate.
It helps them align with ISO and NIST guidelines, enhancing their reputation and position in the market.
By providing its services through an online portal, the enterprise has seen a brisk scale up in the customer base.
It helps them align with ISO and NIST guidelines, enhancing their reputation and position in the market.
The organization analyzes a reduction in vehicle breakdown and shortens their delivery time.
With the increasing demand for their services, firm boosts their revenue, leading to start their business in other continents.
It enables the handling of human resources efficiently, and in-built analyzers help assign work effectively.
Due to a Centralized solution and beautifully designed UX, both customers and organizations now can access almost all of the necessary information regarding the package via a Mobile app or just a browser.