Maersk uses AT&T network to monitor refeers

The deal with Maersk Line, which will allow the ocean carrier to track termperatures in its refrigerated containers, is one of the largest industrial “internet of things” deployments of its kind, according to AT&T.    Danish shipping giant Maersk Line has connected its fleet of refrigerated containers to the AT&T network, according to the telecommunications company.
   Jan Esebech, head of equipment at Maersk said “The monitoring devices (which we are calling RCM, short for Remote Container Monitoring) are installed on 99 percent of the fleet right now, so essentially all. The project of first developing the technology and afterwards implementing has taken several years and we have spent a triple digit million dollar amount on it.”
   He said “In Maersk Line we operate around 260,000 reefers and it is an area that we are continuously investing in, and as such we have in the first half of 2015 invested in 20,000 new reefers and have recently placed another order to be received between now and end of Q1 2016.”
   AT&T said each unit uses a remote container device that has a 3G High Temperature SIM card, a GPS unit, a ZigBee radio and antenna, and multiple interfaces for connecting into the refrigerated container’s controller. The remote control device can operate with two-way connectivity from just about anywhere in the world.
   AT&T said the deal with Maersk is one of the largest industrial “internet of things” deployments of its kind.
   “Maersk is working with AT&T to track and monitor the condition of refrigerated containers with perishable goods. Before, onsite supply chain managers would spend time manually checking the condition of each container. Maersk now has near-real time visibility into the conditions of each refrigerated container at almost any part of its journey during the supply chain. Their shipping supervisors can monitor mechanical performance to help ensure the equipment is in proper working condition,” AT&T said in a statement.
   “All our vessels have electricians onboard, so if a reefer has a problem while at sea it can be repaired to avoid damage to the cargo,” Esebech explained.