Case studies
Digital Solutions – OnAsset Case Study
Unilode Rolls Out OnAsset Supply Chain Management Technology on a Massive Global Scale
Unilode Aviation Solutions owns and manages the world’s largest outsourced fleet of unit load devices (ULDs), which are containers and pallets used for the transport of freight, baggage, and mail on aircraft. It also provides ULD and inflight food service equipment maintenance and repair services.
ULD loss is an age-old problem in aviation. As the only aircraft part that leaves control of the airline and passes through various ground service providers, shippers and freight forwarders, ULDs are easily misplaced. With over one million ULDs in circulation globally, airlines have up to 200,000 ULDs in the wrong place at the wrong time.
A shortage of ULDs impacts an airline’s ability to meet customer needs and keep costs down. Replacement of ULDs and holding additional inventory due to inefficient processes cost the airlines millions of dollars a year.
Unilode recognized this problem and had the vision and commitment to apply OnAsset monitoring technologies to its vast fleet of ULDs spanning the globe. The results of its implementation have exceeded expectations. Asset availability is up and benefits are being passed on to customers. A true win-win.
The search for solutions
For years, Unilode sought solutions for improving its ULD fleet management and tracking customers’ cargo, but available options all had significant shortcomings. The two key, commercially approved technologies for tracking-in-flight included RFID and GPS.
RFID/LORAWAN was good in that it is low energy and inexpensive. But the infrastructure and readers necessary to support this technology on a global scale was undeployable & would have been met with large expensive infrastructure needs. Unilode needed a custom built-to-scale product for its large ULD fleet and network, and broad base of customers. Not to mention, RFID and the frequency in which it operates is not approved in every country in the world, and Unilode’s ULDs travel to around 250+ countries.
GPS is approved in all areas except for China, which uses its own system. GPS was an accurate form of technology, but battery life was measured in days instead of years, and the mobile network costs are extremely expensive.