The process of tracking container chassis presents a unique challenge, as they lack their own power supply. Since 2020, UES Chassis GmbH has been utilizing Sensolus’ IoT-based tracking solution. Today, it has become integral to the company’s IT infrastructure and the foundation for its service offerings.
Based in Hamburg with additional locations in Bremen, Bottrop, and Mannheim, UES Chassis GmbH offers over 700 container chassis for short- or long-term rental with customized rental conditions. The UES fleet features a family of models including 20ft, 40ft, 45ft, and 40/45ft chassis to those for refrigerated transport.
UES customers range from small and medium-sized businesses to large transport companies and freight forwarders in the intermodal transport industry, who use UES chassis throughout Europe. UES places a high priority on supporting its customers across Germany with comprehensive services throughout the rental period. This includes individual care packages, tire services, replacement vehicles, repairs, and technical inspection deadline notification.
The search for a tracking solution for the chassis fleet
“We support our customers in planning and scheduling by providing a sustainable and exceptional service network,” says Matthias Emme, CEO of UES Chassis GmbH. For years, the company operated without chassis localization and tracking because of a lack of mass-market tracking solutions for non-powered assets. Once a chassis left UES premises, the company had no ability to track their locations or travel routes. Consequently, communicating service needs was prolonged and complicated, while proactive maintenance based on usage was impossible.
“In instances of a flat tire or a technical breakdown, identifying the exact location is essential for our service,” Emme explains. “Previously, this was complicated because of prolonged communication chains from the driver to their company and then to us. Our objective was to be able to track our fleet to provide customers with faster and better service. We needed a tracking solution that would provide easy retrofitting options for our expanding chassis fleet with models from across production years.”
Sensolus trackers and management platform win approval
Because traditional telematics systems require continuous power, they were unsuitable for UES’s container chassis.
To remedy this situation, the company searched for battery-powered solutions with high durability and IoT-based technology. Ultimately, it chose Sensolus’ IoT-based trackers in 2020.
Sensolus trackers are durable, robust and able to withstand harsh outdoor conditions and provide a battery life for more than five years.
Their use of NB-IoT technology ensures optimal connectivity on most European roads. NarrowBand IoT is a global standard for instances requiring demand low energy consumption and long battery life.
“Another factor convincing us about Sensolus as a solution is its entire mobile asset monitoring management platform, which incorporates comprehensive functionality as part of the package, it not only offers intelligent analytics for ‘if-then’ scenarios, but also supports data exchange with our ERP system.”
Quick setup & intelligent data exchange
Another advantage of the Sensolus IoT-based tracking solution was its simple installation and activation process. After UES registered with the Sensolus platform, the company was able to quickly attach trackers to its vehicles and connect them to the management platform. Very quickly, the chassis lessor outfitted about 200 vehicles in an initial rollout. All remaining chassis eventually were equipped with Sensolus trackers as they arrived at a UES depot. Approximately 700 UES chassis are currently equipped with Sensolus trackers, with each new vehicle added accordingly.
UES has also established a bidirectional data exchange via API between its ERP system, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (formerly Microsoft Navision), and the Sensolus management platform. The company benefits from current tracking data in its ERP system, using the Sensolus platform for analysis to create customer-optimized offers.
Accelerated services, optimized chassis maintenance
“The visibility of vehicles through Sensolus’ IoT-based tracking solution has simplified, accelerated, and streamlined critical business processes,” according to Emme. “This is particularly true for our nationwide services. By locating via tracker, we can quickly direct our service network partners to the exact location, such as in cases of flat tires.”
The Sensolus trackers provide current location information for UES as well as insights into the mileage that their vehicles cover daily throughout Europe. This optimizes maintenance based on individual chassis usage. A particular advantage is for usage-dependent tire changes, as predictive, timely planning of repairs and tire changes reduces the possibility of future breakdowns.
Tracking also enables critical technical check deadlines to be based on chassis use and mileage, rather than a fixed six-month cycle. This allows UES to proactively notify customers with rented chassis, offering additional services like replacement vehicles for the duration of a technical inspection.
“The visibility of vehicles through Sensolus’ IoT-based tracking solution has simplified, accelerated, and streamlined critical business processes. This is particularly true for our nationwide services. By locating via tracker, we can quickly direct our service network partners to the exact location, such as in cases of flat tires.”
UES customers benefit from tracking data
A special highlight: UES utilizes tracking data for its own purposes and shares it with customers. UES customers can log into the Sensolus platform and track the chassis they have rented. This newly created service based on Sensolus’ IoT-based tracking solution enables customers to benefit from transport chain transparency with readily available information for drivers, dispatchers, and their customers. This transparency also provides a clearer overview for both parties, specifically with drop-off or return processes and other contract-relevant aspects.
“We have been using Sensolus’ IoT-based tracking solution for several years,” Emme concludes. “This experience has validated the reliability of the trackers’ durability and battery life, as well as its cross-border connectivity. Indeed, the Sensolus solution has become an integral part of our systems, processes, and even our own services.”
“We have been using Sensolus’ IoT-based tracking solution for several years. This experience has validated the reliability of the trackers’ durability and battery life, as well as its cross-border connectivity. Indeed, the Sensolus solution has become an integral part of our systems, processes, and even our own services."
