Royal Mail tags 850,000 roll cages with ambient IoT trackers

Israeli supply-chain IoT software developer Wiliot has secured a major contract with the Royal Mail in the UK to supply 850,000 ambient IoT tags to track wheeled containers, or roll cages, through its distribution centres. The containers, called Yorks, are used to transport parcels and letters around the country. The tags, described as “tiny computers that look like stickers”, use low-energy Bluetooth (BLE) to issue real-time location data, as well as temperature and humidity monitoring, about the whereabouts and conditions of the containers in transit. 

They do not contain batteries; instead, they use surrounding (ambient) radio waves for power. Usage of BLE, in place of radio frequency identification (RFID), removes the need for manual scanning. Royal Mail is the first delivery company to use the tracking tags. It has already tagged 850,000 wheeled containers. A statement said: “As parcels travel between 37 mail centres, two automated parcel hubs and 1,200 delivery offices, via a vast network of vehicles, the tags create a live digital map of their journeys.”

It added: “This provides Royal Mail with unparalleled insight to address any issues and optimise its network.” As well as supply-chain efficiencies, to meet “current-day demands”, Royal Mail expects the solution to help it meet net-zero targets by 2040 – by “optimising vehicle use depending on volume and reducing overall fuel use”. Royal Mail plans to tag individual parcels, at some point, also – providing “even more [location] precision and granular data on CO2e per parcel”. For more on Wiliot’s technology solution, see the article, here, about pressure to fast-track ambient IoT (‘We’ll ask how the economy ever ran offline’).

Nathan Preston, tech director for strategy, innovation and data at Royal Mail, said: “Data led modernisation is an important part of our strategy to improve the effectiveness of our operation and make it as efficient and customer focussed as possible. We are excited to be the first postal company in the world to be using Wiliot’s innovative technology. It has huge potential, from increasing reliability by allowing us to quickly spot and address any issues in the network, to reducing our carbon footprint by helping us to better fill our vehicles to avoid wasted journeys. Combining Wiliot data with other sources, we can more efficiently monitor the items in our network, without the need for any additional manual scanning.”

Tal Tamir, chief executive at Wiliot, said: “Royal Mail’s heritage is well established and very rich. The significance of being central to its digital transformation mission is not lost on us. Through our platform, we’re able to provide complete visibility across the supply chain, giving organisations young and old the tools they need to deliver faster, safer and more environmentally sustainable services and solutions.”