© Fraunhofer IML - Sebastian Beierle
The focus of collaboration in the joint enterprise lab is on smart container management. Through the use of NB-IoT technologies, central control and recording techniques in the logistics sector are intended to be installed cost-effectively and durably.
In close cooperation, a wide range of future-oriented products could be developed.
Based on Time-of-Flight (ToF) technology, the ITCPRO level meter (= Intelligent Tracking Control Professional) measures and transmits the fill level of data protection and recyclable material containers in an event-driven manner. These collected data are processed directly in the service provider's ERP system, ensuring timely container collection. This enables compliance with the high requirements of the GDPR for data protection containers and prevents overfilling for recyclable material containers.
The real-time data transmission is carried out via the Narrow-Band IoT (NB-IoT) mobile communication standard, allowing for energy-efficient and secure service provision independent of local infrastructure (WLAN). This can result in up to five years of service life. In the entire process, economic and ecological savings of up to 30% are possible.
The development of the ITCPRO is not exclusive to Rhenus. The smart level sensor has already been in series production since 2022 by Deutsche Telekom IoT GmbH and is available on the market for interested parties.
Making-of Rhenus level meter
Building on the success of the ITCPro, Enterprise Lab partners Rhenus and Commerzbank AG have decided to digitally and transparently implement and display the entire supply chain of the sensor, from sensor ping to automated billing process. To ensure this transparency, it was decided that the data would be stored decentralizedly, including at the customer level. Commerzbank experts laid the groundwork for this with the internationally proven Distributed-Ledger Corda in finance. The process data is written into Corda in real-time and tamper-proof manner, and it is validated using smart contracts. The smart contract validates the incoming data for write permission, accuracy, belongingness, and dependency. Payment for the service is fully automated once the conditions specified in the smart contract are met. The transaction confirmation as well as the invoice are both digitally recorded.
Further steps in the supply chain can then be digitized thanks to the decentralized availability of data. With Commerzbank acting as an automated lender, the reminder process for accounts with outstanding payment modalities is also a thing of the past.
Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML