FedEx expands SenseAware deployment

   Memphis, Tenn.-based FedEx has announced the expansion of its SenseAware product, which provides shippers with near real-time tracking and increased shipment visibility, to all of its customers.
   The platform, launched in November 2009, was initially available only to healthcare and life sciences customers. FedEx has now expanded the product to anyone “who can benefit from this added level of visibility and monitoring.”
   SenseAware is a tracking service that provides near real-time data about customer shipments,integrates it into existing systems and shares the information with outside business partners. The platform relies on multi-sensor devices and displays the information they transmit on a Web-based application.
   The service requires companies to activate and place SenseAware devices inside of the packages they want to track. The service has a base price of about $120 for access to the Web application and some sensors.
   FedEx said SenseAware can provide a host of details, including:

• Shipment’s current location.
• Accurate temperature readings.
• When a shipment is opened or if the contents have been exposed to light.
• Relative humidity and barometric pressure readings.

   FedEx said the platform can be easily adopted and requires no extra infrastructure or any large managed service commitments. It supports both single shipments and palletized cargoes through a single application.