Supply chain de-risking has been the highest priority of customers across the globe as disruptions have become commonplace in recent times, especially since the number of online orders and home deliveries has increased due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Real-time monitoring and on-time deliveries are the key metrics for customer satisfaction, as well as for managing supply chain workflow. Vehicle telematics also serves a key purpose here. Telematics is an integrative field that encompasses telecommunication, vehicular technologies, and informatics. Though telematics dates back to several decades, it has seen rapid innovation and adoption in recent years with developments in supporting technologies.

Telematics deployments are becoming more cost-effective and are used in many applications for different business verticals. For instance, the global automotive telematics market is projected to reach $320B by 2026, with a CAGR growth of 26.8%.  Typically, the satellite-based positioning telematics hardware in the vehicle black box is connected to the vehicle and integrated into a user platform via wireless technologies. This centralized information platform provides the user with unlimited access to vehicle data not limited to tracking services, navigation, roadside assistance, and security notification, but it also provides control over the vehicle remotely. [1]

Telematics in Automotive

Vehicle tracking is one of the most widely used applications of telematics, besides which it can also facilitate better workflow in other business operations through its technology and integration.

• Fleet Tracking: This is the core purpose of the telematics technology which later evolved into various use cases. This solution with its tailor-made application and hardware accessories helps the user to abstract the raw data to provide various use cases like a vehicle’s real-time location, travel history, security alerts, and controls over unauthorized access, including fuel siphoning, geo-mapping, and remote immobilization of the vehicle.
• Freight Exchange: Telematics can help to facilitate freight exchange and trans-shipments by providing instant alerts when a new load has become available and sharing status updates with exchange partners, as well as using satellite-based location data to match vehicles with available loads in their general vicinity. Freight exchange platforms allow fleet operators to trade spare vehicle capacity, helping them to maximize productivity and reduce excess capacity.
• Vehicle Aggregators: Be it an individual cab or employee transit service, the effective use of telematics is the key to the success stories of these aggregators. Telematics helps the aggregators to efficiently manage their fleet services, such as routing the right or the most nearby vehicle to be engaged. Besides optimizing operational costs, this solution also provides safe and secured transit services for passengers by identifying the right fleet, live tracking, travel notifications, panic alerts, and more.
• Fleet Maintenance: Preventive and predictive maintenance maximizes the lifetime of a vehicle and its spares. Telematics with its real-time data and tailored application software enables the fleet operator’s to-do fleet maintenance on time, thus prevents vehicle breakdowns and increases productivity. In the event of a vehicle breaking down, real-time intelligence into its location and its status enables a service provider or fleet operator to retrieve it for service immediately whilst the nearest available fleet can be identified and reallocated, helping to minimize downtime.
• Driving Performance: As telematics provide finely detailed insights into driver behavior, it enables fleet managers to devise training and development programs tailored to address the shortcomings of individual drivers. If a driver demonstrates a persistent tendency for harsh braking, rash driving, more or abnormal halting, and route deviation, their managers can devise or alter development programs to include training in such specific areas. Fleet operators can also use this data to encourage a degree of healthy competition among the workforce.

RFID Tags in Goods Tracking Services

When RFID technology is combined with telematics, besides automation of goods tracking in real-time, a wide range of management functions can be tracked as well, such as individual consignment details and ensuring transit requirements cargo. Passive tags when mapped with telematics hardware can automate the identification and tracking of individual goods in real-time during transit. Sensor-equipped RFID tags can be used to monitor and report on conditions experienced by the tag. An accelerometer-equipped tag can measure the vibration or shock levels experienced by the shock-sensitive cargo to which it’s attached.

RFID tags with temperature loggers are particularly useful on climate-sensitive cargo, be it from perishable goods to high-end weapon systems, a temperature logger enabled RFID tag helps in ensuring the right conditions of cargo during transit. Syrma provides electronics design and manufacturing services to diverse markets. As an IATF16949 certified electronics manufacturing company, we help the global automotive industry and solution providers to develop and manufacture custom telematics, as well as unique RFID products.

Connected Auto Insurance

This type of insurance provides a leap in the risk assessment effectiveness over traditional methods and helps insurance firms to obtain precise data for how, how much, when, and where vehicles are operated. A study by leading insurers reveals that using telematics-based risk assessment against classic models predicts accidents by more than two times and a telematics-based risk score is up to 6 times more powerful than using traditional methods.

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Our flagship Chennai location opened in 2006 and lies within a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for electronics manufacturing, offering economic incentives for imports and exports. This primary facility is within 90 minutes of the Chennai seaport and 20 minutes to the international airport. Additional road and rail connectivity links to the rest of India and beyond and infrastructure advantages with faster import and export clearances. We also have labor force flexibility, both technical and manual, to scale to demand rapidly.

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