Kreiss is a transportation company specializing in refrigerated transport. Kreiss links the data from its refrigerated units to its own systems, receives automatic alerts if the temperature of a shipment deviates from the set range, and provides customers with real-time visibility into the temperature. Kreiss is not a customer of AllConnects: this is an international use case from our technology partner to demonstrate what is possible with FLEET.connect.
About Kreiss
Kreiss is a transportation and logistics company specializing in temperature-controlled transport using refrigerated containers (reefers). With refrigerated cargo, a single incorrect setting can ruin an entire shipment. That is why Kreiss linked the data from its refrigeration units directly to its own systems.
The Challenge: Human Errors with Serious Consequences
When setting up a cooling unit, things sometimes go wrong because of a small mistake. The two most common ones are:
Plus or minus confused
The reefer is set to -6 °C instead of +6 °C.
One comma too many or too few
The reefer cools to 0.6 °C instead of +6 °C.
Mistakes like these can seriously damage the cargo. In addition, a refrigeration unit can break down on its own while in transit.
The solution: automatic temperature monitoring for each shipment
Kreiss schedules its shipments in its own system, specifying the required temperature parameters for each shipment. These parameters are automatically sent to the tracking platform, where they are set up as time-based alerts. If the temperature or operating mode falls outside the agreed-upon range during a specific time period, an alert is immediately sent back to Kreiss’s system. This way, temperature monitoring is fully automated through an integration with the company’s own software.
This also applies when cooling cargo. Sometimes cargo needs to be transported at 4 °C, but is still warmer at the time of loading—for example, 15 °C. If the driver sets the temperature to 4 °C right away, the reefer will blow air below 0 °C into the compartment, which can damage the cargo. The system therefore issues a warning when the temperature needs to be lowered gradually.
Faster Resolution of Issues on the Road
If a refrigeration unit displays an error code, the information is immediately sent to Kreiss’s maintenance system. The technicians then decide whether to schedule maintenance or contact the driver right away. Because they can view the refrigeration unit’s data remotely, they can guide the driver step by step through simple repairs while on the road.
Live temperature data for the customer
Kreiss customers no longer have to wait for a shipment to arrive to check a paper printout of the temperature. They receive a tracking link with clear graphs from the refrigeration unit: the set temperature, the operating mode, and the return air temperature. This allows them to see in real time whether everything is in order.
Automatic Alerts
By shipment and by time period, directly in your own planning system.
Tracking link for the customer
Real-time graphs instead of paper printouts upon arrival.
Source: case study from our international technology partner.
You can do with temperature data what Kreiss does
With FLEET.connect, you can read sensor data—such as temperature—and forward alerts to your own systems. We’d be happy to work with you to see what that means for your refrigerated transport operations.
By deploying tracking hardware & software for remote retrieval and integration of reefer data, Kreiss has achieved a clear competitive advantage and set new standards for refrigerated product shipping companies seeking to operate in this market, while also automating many internal processes in the areas of reefer container maintenance and temperature recording.
Solving temperature-related problems on the go
By setting up the solution, Kreiss has been able to solve a number of human error problems on the road. Some of the most popular:
- Confuse positive numbers with negative > instead of operating at +6C, the reefer is used at -6°C.
- The absence of, or an additional added decimal point > instead of operating at +6C, the reefer is cooled to 0.6°C.
Problems like these can easily seriously damage the shipment. In addition to correcting human error, Kreiss has also been able to solve a number of problems related to reefer errors while driving. Simple repair work by the driver is possible since the technician can remotely access the data of the refrigerated container and consult the driver on the steps to be taken to solve the problem.
Monitor temperature
Kreiss has an internal shipment scheduling and dispatch system to set the required reefer parameters for each of the shipments. This data is sent to the tracking platform and set as time-based alerts. If the temperature or operating mode in the time-based slot is not within the specified range, an alert is generated and sent back to the Kreiss shipment management system. This solution enables complete automation in the field of temperature monitoring.
In addition, an option was developed to use the warning system to cool cargo. There are cases where cargo needs to be transported at 4°C, but is not cooled to that temperature at the time of loading. If the driver sets a set point of 4°C and the actual temperature of the cargo is around 15°C, the reefer will provide the compartment with a temperature below 0°C that could damage the cargo. Unlocking collected data for customers. Gone are the days when customers were ready to wait for the arrival of a shipment only to check a printout of the temperature of the reefer unit. Kreiss is an innovative company and quickly understood this:
- Customers receive a tracking link with easy-to-understand graphs of Carrier cooling unit data - set point temperature, operating mode, return air temperature.
- Customers can track the data in real time and do not have to analyze long paper printouts to detect shipment problems. All data is displayed in a graph, making it easy to oversee.
Maintenance planning
Once the refrigeration unit sends out an alert code, it is sent directly to Kreiss' internal maintenance scheduling system, where the refrigerated container technicians decide how to respond. They either schedule a maintenance service in their scheduling system or contact the driver to resolve the issues immediately. The tracking hardware has a built-in mechanism to provide alerts when the temperature needs to be lowered step by step to cool the load without damaging it.
