IoT-platform solution for a logistic company

It guarantees the efficient movement of goods and resources from the producer to the consumer. According to the World Trade Organization, the volume of the world trade of goods exceeded $18 trillion in 2021. The introduction and development of methods for managing the flow of goods and information has a significant influence on the global economy and impacts various areas of our daily lives.

Our client from Latin America had already successfully provided truck rental services. They were at the stage of actively exploring opportunities for expanding their business further and searching for new niches. To optimize current operations, create new systems, and effectively manage the budget for future development, the client was in search of innovative solutions and expert support. The main goal of the project is to create a single multipurpose platform that will integrate the company's new services and optimize all aspects of its activity.

The objectives of the project were focused on two areas. The first one is related to the search and development of solutions for the management of the existing company that will improve operational efficiency, increase productivity, and reduce costs. The second direction was related to the creation of a single multipurpose platform that will integrate the company's new services and optimize all aspects of its activity.

Our offer includes the following key elements:

• Logistics and transport base management system: a system that allows effective control and manage vehicles, planning and tracking traffic schedules and routes, optimizing processes, and assigning tasks.
• Warehouse and cargo management system: a module for accounting and monitoring goods in warehouses, inventory management, and tracking the movement of goods in real time.
• Tracking and control system: a system that allows tracking the location of each vehicle, analyze reports on routes, speed, downtime to improve efficiency and safety. The use of the Wirepas system allowed us to use IoT technologies to monitor fuel, engine conditions, and other parameters.
• An analytics system for monitoring and analyzing performance, generating reports, and identifying optimization opportunities.
• A mobile application for customers: a users’ application available on Android and iOS platforms that provides convenient order placement, tracking the delivery status, payment and order confirmation, notifications and notice system, support, and feedback services.

For security and confidentiality, all transmitted data is encrypted, and authentication mechanisms were implemented that give access to the system only to specific users, in accordance with the access control strategy and the principle of minimum rights. Due to the architecture of microservices on the platform and the application, which is hosted in the Azure cloud storage, updates are performed automatically without interrupting operation. To ensure reliability and guarantee the availability of the database in case of failures or rejections, the data is duplicated.

The use of IoT technologies made it possible to effectively manage the schedule, control delivery and manage orders, track the movement of trucks and monitor their safety, optimize the company’s resources, collect data for analytics and forecasting. The use of Machine Learning significantly improved route optimization, supply forecasting, automation of fleet monitoring and management, and the process of analyzing clients’ behavior.

Companies that want to explore new niches for themselves and do not have their team often face the problem of finding a partner who can provide a comprehensive turnkey solution. The complexity and scale of the project require not only deep knowledge of the industry and technical expertise but also the ability to adapt to the unique requirements of business in a particular region. Not to mention that the development of a single platform for managing such a large business requires a lot of resources and experience for managing complex projects. Not all companies can provide the necessary resources and experts.

Our client was looking for a reliable partner capable of taking over all the stages of the project – from concept-framing and development to implementation and support – to ensure the successful development of their business. We held several meetings to fully understand the expectations and goals. This project was of strategic importance and an opportunity for us to take interesting approaches to solutions implementation, and would have also opened doors to the developing Latin American market in this industry. We are confident in our ability to create efficient and reliable solutions, because we have technical competence and specialization in logistics, and this makes us an ideal business partner.

A hybrid approach to development was used for this project. One of the main requirements for our team within the framework of this project was the need to ensure the effective management of all aspects of the client's business, starting with the fleet of trucks and ending with the mobile application for clients. This choice was due to the need to create a comprehensive and integrated system, take into account the scale of the project, and effectively manage resources, which was important for the successful implementation of such a multifaceted project.

The use of the Waterfall methodology at the first stage of the project provided a more rigorous and structured approach to the start: to accurately define the requirements, reduce the risks of the project and develop strategies to prevent them, control the budget and deadlines. After creating the MVP, we moved to more flexible Agile development methodologies. We regularly monitored and evaluated the results using metrics and performance indicators, which helped to accurately identify areas where improvements needed to be made and to evaluate the effectiveness of the entire process. Transparent communication between the development team and the client was critical to the project's success. Therefore, the constant exchange of information and feedback made it possible to improve the process of coordination and to agree on changes.

In this project, we acted as a reliable partner, able to provide an all-inclusive turnkey solution for the client’s company who wanted to master a new niche for themselves in the field of logistics and cargo transportation. We took over all the stages, starting with concept-framing and development, and ending with implementation and support, thereby ensuring the successful implementation of the project and its compliance with the client's business goals and strategy.

The Aionys team created a single multipurpose platform that allows you to manage the logistics and transport base of the company, take into account and monitor cargo, operate inventory, monitor and control the movement of vehicles, fuel consumption, and general condition. A mobile application was also created for customers, which provides convenient order placement, tracking the status of delivery, payment, and confirmation of orders, including a notification and notice system, support, and feedback service. The implementation of this system significantly increased efficiency and reduced costs in the business, as well as allowing the company to expand its activities beyond its core segment. This eventually led to an increase in annual profits and a strengthening of the company's position in the cargo logistics market.

Due to the cooperation with Aionys, the client managed to achieve the following results:

• A single multipurpose platform has been created to manage the company's logistics and transport base, including cargo tracking, operating inventory management, vehicle movement monitoring and controlling, fuel consumption tracking, and general condition assessment.
• The maximally functional application has been developed with a user-friendly and intuitive interface, which provides convenient placement of orders, tracking the status of delivery, payment, and confirmation of orders, the use of a notification and notice system, support, and feedback services.
• Application users can take advantage of a wide range of features, including detailed information about the route, cargo, a driver and a customer, visualization of transport and loading schemes, evaluation and reviews of services, cost calculation, billing, and the ability to make online payments.
• A high level of application security achieved by implementing data encryption standards in accordance with PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) requirements.
• A reliable system of individual authentication and authorization to prevent unauthorized access to information about users’ personal and payment data.
• The introduction of the new business solution helped to improve the operational efficiency of the existing company, attract new clients, and reduce costs by 12%, which eventually led to a significant increase in annual profits.