Owners and operators of fixed and mobile assets in any industry sector will benefit from asset tracking and management solutions. A cautious approach should however be taken as to the hardware and services selected for the industry sector in question as there are several key challenges that must be addressed if the tracking solution is to be commercially viable.
The key challenges are:
- Network availability across the geographic operating area
- The ambient (operating) temperature range encountered
- The availability of power necessary to operate the tracking devices
- The power demand of tracking devices and the communications method
- Battery technologies and their applications in asset tracking
- The impact of operational forces on the tracking devices
Any commercial viable deployment of a tracking solution must consider the above environmental challenges. Other factors such as installation costs, hidden international roaming charges, service call outs to failed equipment (during and after any warranty period) and ultimately the cost of acquisition of the hardware and the ongoing network and software costs.
Whilst the above are commonsense considerations for the procurement and operation of any tracking device or system, the environmental operating conditions are not always considered even by experienced vendors of tracking equipment and even less so by less experience end users, who to a high degree typically rely on a trusted vendor's advice. |
