Background
Founded in 1942 and headquartered in Jalisco, Mexico—and powered by more than 2,500 employees — Dulces de la Rosa is a confectioner that focuses on quality, innovation, and taste… with a bit of fun added in a la Willy Wonka.
Prior to using Tive, de la Rosa used basic GPS trackers on their trucks to monitor the location of their shipments, but these trackers were insufficient because they only provided the last reported location. De la Rosa prides itself on the high quality of their candy products and decided they needed a more advanced solution—one that could track the real-time location and condition of their precious perishables.
According to the head of Special Projects - Engineering & Applications at de la Rosa, “We considered other tracking devices—but they did not have the real-time location capabilities that Tive offered us. We now use Tive Solo 5G trackers, and they are much better at determining the exact location. So while we initially chose Tive because of location accuracy, it quickly became obvious that the condition of our shipments was just as important.”
“I have tested the Solo 5G across Mexico, USA, Europe, Central and South America—and doing so has convinced my team and me of its capabilities.”
Continues de la Rosa, “If someone tells me they’re going to send a container out of the country and they want to track it, I tell them about Tive—because I know Tive works.”
Location, Location, Location… Plus Condition
The most fundamental part of shipment tracking is ensuring that nothing gets lost on the way. Unfortunately, even shipments armed with GPS trackers have fallen victim to cargo theft—making it obvious to Dulces de la Rosa that GPS wasn’t enough. The company chose Tive in no small part because Solo 5G trackers use GPS, WiFi, and cell tower triangulation to provide accurate real-time location data. They needed to actively monitor these valuable shipments as they moved around the world.
“The initial reason we chose Tive was to help protect the safety of our shipments—to know where they were at all times. The second reason was to monitor temperature and humidity conditions,” says de la Rosa. “Too often, a carrier tells us that the truck’s refrigeration unit is turned on, but then they turn it off during the trip to save gas—and we get customer complaints. With Tive, we can monitor the condition our products were in when the shipment started versus how they arrived—and everything in between. And the added benefit of precise location tracking has been fabulous—it is a wonderful combination.”
"I give Tive a 10/10."
Pilot Project Paved the Way
Dulces de la Rosa started with a pilot program designed to demonstrate the value of Tive to the company at large. A small number of teams started using Tive trackers and cloud platform as a way to learn more about the benefits Tive could provide—as well as to evaluate what shipment data Tive collected, which could be used to improve operations down the road.
After a short trial, the de la Rosa team expanded the number of teams using Tive. Among the successes? Taking action on temperature excursion alerts—one of the most important ways to ensure the protection of their perishable goods. They set up temperature parameters and received alerts if the temperature goes above or below the stated parameters—alerting them that a driver had shut off the truck’s refrigeration unit.
According to de la Rosa, “We started using Tive very quietly, and then—the first time we saw an issue unfold in the Tive platform and we were able to fix it in real time—it was wonderful to share that news with the rest of the company.”
He continued, “I even take Tive trackers on my trips now, packed in my suitcase. When I arrive at my destination airport I know that my suitcase is there because I can see it on the platform. I have used trackers for travel in the United States, Europe, throughout Central America, and in Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama—and Tive always gives me the exact location of my suitcase.”
Stopping Cargo Theft in its Tracks
In 2023, the battle against global cargo theft and fraud grew a staggering 600% compared to the previous year—with Mexico experiencing more than 20,000 cargo theft events, including 7,800 hijackings, across the country.
Today’s thieves take a front-row seat; they no longer hide in the shadows. As these criminals have become bolder, more sophisticated, and sneakier, they have mastered digital avenues such as cyber scams, identity theft, and complex double-brokering cons.
In fact, Dulces de la Rosa recently experienced a cargo theft incident near Mexico City. According to de la Rosa, “Once we realized the truck had been taken, we were able to watch our shipment move through the city in the Tive platform.” With Tive, the team at de la Rosa was able to watch their merchandise actively move down the highway.
“We were able to tell the police that the truck had arrived at a specific location, a police operation was set up, and we were able to recover everything in that truck,” they said.
“Tive is our backup plan in case something happens. When a Tive tracker has been on a shipment in which something has gone wrong, we have achieved at least a partial recovery.”
Improved Compliance + Easily Demonstrated ROI
Because Dulces de la Rosa produces extremely delicate products—including (but nowhere near limited to) chocolates, lollipops, and hard and soft candies—maintaining proper shipping temperatures is critical. And for many of their products, humidity is just as important.
The team at De la Rosa strives to ensure ongoing customer loyalty. Delivering sub-par products simply isn’t an option. Tive enables the company to monitor the temperature and humidity of all shipments, which helps with dispute resolution upon delivery—and protects the long-lasting integrity of their confections and their brand.
According to de la Rosa, “Tive has helped us demonstrate compliance in some disputes where the chocolate or the marshmallows arrived melted. I now have concrete proof of compliance and can show that temperatures did not go up.”
Protecting the Planet via Sustainable Shipping Methods
Initially, Dulces de la Rosa used Tive solo 5G Lithium trackers as single-use items, but as time went on, they decided they wanted a reusable option—and the Solo 5G fit the bill.
“It would be a terrible shame if every tracker we purchased ended up in the trash,” says de la Rosa. “The best logistical solution for us is to be able to recover the equipment, recharge it, and reuse it on another shipment.”
He continued, “The biggest benefits of using Tive are that it enables you to see the location and condition of your products—to see if there was an incident, to see that a shipment arrived, and to know what kind of handling it had. Plus, Tive helps you know the conditions in which your shipment is being stored. That’s just so valuable.”
