How GEODIS Saved a Million-Dollar Shipment Using Tive Trackers

Companies leading the way in driving innovation in supply chain visibility are searching for tech solutions to empower their options. For GEODIS, partnering with Tive offered in-depth tracking data through hyper-accurate location and condition trackers.

Rollo Begley Global Operations Manager at GEODIS joined Adrian Gonzalez on Talking Logistics to discuss the benefits GEODIS experienced in implementing Tive real-time visibility technology.

GEODIS' Shipping and Logistics Challenges

There are a lot of touchpoints from multiple teams for a company with a long global supply chain. GEODIS found there were two areas where they needed more insight:

Shipping Conditions: GEODIS wanted to know if products were well cared for through the logistics network and where issues may be occurring along the shipping route.

Transit Tracking: GEODIS wanted visibility with real-time data so their shippers had a better idea of where their products were and what to expect for arrival times.

The struggle was ancient systems typically used by logistics companies lack innovative capabilities. However, choosing the right partner and integrating the tech was a big step. While specifically pinpointing real-time location was the biggest factor, GEODIS wanted to get as many data points as possible to help improve their logistics network.

While GEODIS largely deals with high tech, Begley noted many B2B industries benefit from this kind of tracking tech:

• IT Equipment and Electronics
• Medical Equipment
• Life Sciences Products
• Pharmaceuticals
• Energy/Mining Equipment
• Perishable Goods and Produce

Why is Tive the Right Solution?

There aren’t a lot of innovative tools equipped to help B2B logistics companies gather accurate and detailed shipment data. GEODIS wanted to find technology with trackers that provided insight into exactly what’s happening during every step of the shipping process.

The most important factor in choosing the right tracking technology for GEODIS came down to the data supplied. Helpful data points available through Tive trackers included atmospheric conditions (temperature and humidity), light exposure, whether or not the box was opened, shock, impact, and more. Each data point needed to correspond to a location and time so that issues along the way could be pinpointed. What Tive found through data from GEODIS was eye-opening.

Aside from crucial data points, there were other concerns that pushed GEODIS towards the Tive.

• Use Network: Must be widely accepted (specifically, at the airline level).
• Usability: Easy to use and durable.
• Efficient: Reusable and cost-effective.
• Duration: Needs a long battery life for transit.
• Support: Helpful customer service and onboarding for integration.
• Growth: Tech partner dedicated to improvement and innovation to scale.

How Tive Saved a Million-Dollar Server Shipment for GEODIS

Specifically, when a ground-handling error led to a lost seven-figure server shipment, GEODIS relied on Tive. The international shipment was supposed to arrive in Paris but was nowhere to be found. Rather than a long and difficult hunt or chalking up a loss for the customer, GEODIS was able to pinpoint the exact location of the shipment within the hour.

The shipment had been loaded into the wrong truck and was located three hours away in a Brussels warehouse.

Without Tive, the shipment would have been extremely hard to find. The tracking capabilities meant GEODIS was able to have a solution in hand before even contacting the shipper to let them know what was happening. This minimizes the impact on the customer while increasing transparency throughout the shipping process.

Additional Benefits Experienced with Tive

There were a lot of data points that were very eye-opening to the GEODIS team. Some of the examples included learning:

• How hot freight gets just waiting to be loaded on the airplanes
• The temperature within a truck moving southwest during the summer
• The differences in temperature between the nose and tail of climate-controlled trucks truck

Begley said these insights have changed GEODIS’ approach to equipment placement, loading policies, loss prevention, and more.

Additionally, he foresees the potential to use the data to offer more predictive tracking services. Using real-time data and route conditions, Begley wants to pinpoint delivery times. He says tracking expectations have improved for many consumers but this tech has not yet been developed for B2B spaces.

Integrating Tech for Logistics Transparency

Done right, integrating Tive took time and effort but was absolutely worth it, Begley notes.

“It’s so valuable. We’ve learned unknown unknowns,” said Begley. “We’ve learned so much that we never would have imagined. We’ve made changes we would never have anticipated. It’s brought a whole new level of very, very detailed understanding of what’s going on in our supply chain.”

Increased visibility is something you should provide for yourself and your clients. Shippers, manufacturers, logistics companies and carriers alike benefit from accurate data and insights.

To learn more about integrating Tive's industry-leading tech for logistics tracking, contact us today!

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