HONG KONG's Cathay Pacific Cargo and its partners have continued continue trials of new Bluetooth track and trace technology for ULDs, the company has revealed.
For the uninitiated a ULD is a unit load device, especially shaped cargo containers to fit the contours of aircraft.
The airline said that following a 'proof of technology' trial in Hong Kong, it is now tracking ULDs using low-energy Bluetooth beacons and readers as they make their way from Hong Kong to Melbourne.
'Our cargo terminal has a different environment to many of the warehouses to where we deliver cargo at outports,' said Calvin Hui, e-cargo and digital enablement manager.
'While the terminal is a multi-storey facility, most outport warehouses will be single-storey and densely packed with cargo. We needed to make sure the technology works in this environment too.'
Cathay fitted the warehouse in Melbourne with Bluetooth readers and tracked a shipment from the aircraft, across the ramp into the warehouse up to its collection.
'The trial was a success in tracking location, the technology is multi-dimensional and will be able to record and transmit other information about the shipment including temperature,' the carrier said.
ULD firm Unilode added: 'The trial included the world's first deployment of Bluetooth Low Energy version 5 technology with superior performance and range over any other Bluetooth deployment previously conducted.
'It also featured another world-first with data capture being conducted with a mix of fixed readers and mobile devices (smartphones and tablets), which all parties believe is a true game-changer for delivering reliable and robust tracking services to our industry.'
For the uninitiated a ULD is a unit load device, especially shaped cargo containers to fit the contours of aircraft.
The airline said that following a 'proof of technology' trial in Hong Kong, it is now tracking ULDs using low-energy Bluetooth beacons and readers as they make their way from Hong Kong to Melbourne.
'Our cargo terminal has a different environment to many of the warehouses to where we deliver cargo at outports,' said Calvin Hui, e-cargo and digital enablement manager.
'While the terminal is a multi-storey facility, most outport warehouses will be single-storey and densely packed with cargo. We needed to make sure the technology works in this environment too.'
Cathay fitted the warehouse in Melbourne with Bluetooth readers and tracked a shipment from the aircraft, across the ramp into the warehouse up to its collection.
'The trial was a success in tracking location, the technology is multi-dimensional and will be able to record and transmit other information about the shipment including temperature,' the carrier said.
ULD firm Unilode added: 'The trial included the world's first deployment of Bluetooth Low Energy version 5 technology with superior performance and range over any other Bluetooth deployment previously conducted.
'It also featured another world-first with data capture being conducted with a mix of fixed readers and mobile devices (smartphones and tablets), which all parties believe is a true game-changer for delivering reliable and robust tracking services to our industry.'