J&R Schugel gains visibility of cold chain operations with ORBCOMM’s leading IoT technology

ORBCOMM Inc., a global provider of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, today announced that it has been selected by J&R Schugel, a leading national truckload carrier based in New Ulm, MN, to provide its industry-leading cold chain telematics solutions to track, monitor and control their refrigerated trailers. ORBCOMM’s comprehensive telematics solutions provide wireless connectivity through its industry-leading hardware and a single, unified cloud-based analytics platform for streamlined operations across multiple asset classes.

J&R Schugel is using ORBCOMM’s cold chain solution for two-way monitoring of temperature control and location of their refrigerated shipments, ensuring visibility, security and integrity of their freight from origin to destination. J&R Schugel can remotely initiate trailer pre-cooling, change the reefer state and adjust the temperature of reefers on the road for added convenience and control of their operations. They can also determine if the trailer door is open or closed and monitor idle and dwell times, eliminating costly manual yard checks. If out-of-range conditions occur, such as deviations from the target temperature range or set geofences, alarms are triggered immediately, enabling J&R Schugel to take immediate corrective action and avoid lost revenue from spoilage claims. The enhanced visibility into their operations helps J&R Schugel increase profitability by optimizing asset utilization, turn times and tractor-to-trailer ratios.

With mapping, reports, alerts and exception management, ORBCOMM’s best-in-class platform provides real-time data and business intelligence integrated with J&R Schugel’s internal transportation management system for more efficient operations. ORBCOMM’s solution also makes compliance easy for J&R Schugel by allowing them to compile, store and access temperature data at any time for proof of cold chain integrity in accordance with the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). In addition, fuel savings is a significant benefit of ORBCOMM’s solution, which helps J&R Schugel detect rapid fuel loss, theft and improper invoicing, and prevent wasted spend from unnecessary, continuous idling and extended reefer usage.

“For cold chain carriers, there are a number of issues impacting their refrigerated cargo in transit – from supply chain disruptions to new regulatory compliance requirements, making ORBCOMM’s cold chain telematics solutions critical to their operations,” said Chris MacDonald, ORBCOMM’s Senior Vice President of North America Sales. “We’re pleased to work with J&R Schugel to enhance their operational efficiency through our leading IoT technology by maximizing asset utilization, minimizing downtime and ensuring compliance for their temperature-sensitive loads.”

“ORBCOMM’s cold chain solution fulfills our requirements for ensuring we have complete visibility over our fleet and are able to preserve the quality and integrity of our high-value loads at every point in the supply chain,” said Sean Claton, GM and Executive Vice President with J&R Schugel. “We are focused on significantly reducing our risk for insurance claims and increasing our profitability, but most importantly, we look forward to delivering an even higher level of service to our customers.”