Conbee GmbH, based in Wehrheim im Taunus, specializes in the optimization of logistics processes. Located north of Frankfurt/Main, the company develops sensors that allow materials, vehicles, or load carriers to be localized in real time within operational logistics. As a building block for Industry 4.0, such a sensor (known as an IoT Smart Tag) enables effective tracking scenarios with added value for logistics and production processes.
At LogiMAT 2017, an IoT Smart Tag developed by Conbee GmbH was named the best product of the year.
Managing Director Michael Nickolai explains the advantages of the sensor as follows:
With the help of IoT Smart Tags, companies are able to improve their warehouse concepts, save resources, and optimize their logistics processes across the entire supply chain. In this way, the effective generation of information becomes child’s play. The intelligent sensor technology transmits data and information about the environment, condition, and movement of all vehicles and equipment on the company premises in real time.
The battery-operated Smart Tag has also been optimized for maximum runtime with minimal energy consumption and provides up to three years of service, even with intensive use. The IoT Smart Tag is also available in two extremely robust (ruggedized) versions aimed at the industrial market in harsh environments.
The designers and engineers at industrialpartners and their creative ideas were responsible for the product design, housing development, and construction of the smart sensors B200R – Rugged Smart TAG and B400R – Rugged Smart TAG.
Small but powerful: The robust B200R features the special characteristic of integrated temperature monitoring. This provides the opportunity to smartly manage and control critical processes using the tag: for example, maintaining the cold chain for certain products or triggering an alarm when critical thresholds are reached. The integrated radio module transmits the recorded sensor data wirelessly and therefore does not require a SIM card. The IoT Smart Tag B400R is also characterized by its stable housing, and as a configurable tag, it additionally offers authentication functions and is fraud-proof.
Using the innovative HP Multi Jet Fusion 4200 production system, the industrialpartners team realized the in-house production of a small series of IoT Smart Tags. Several thousand of the smart tags were manufactured using the rapid prototyping process, which combines high speed with low turnaround times and low material costs, yet remains one of the most cost-effective additive manufacturing processes.
Whether it is goods logistics, airport logistics, construction site logistics, or warehouse logistics: wherever search times need to be minimized, operations optimized, circular processes improved, or simply an overview of inventory maintained, the modular and scalable IoT Smart Tag offers fast and efficient solutions. The ability to adapt to individual application requirements, combined with high process reliability and greater transparency in asset management, makes IoT Smart Tag sensors the new stars in the world of intralogistics.