Inseego : The evolution of airport asset tracking

Based in the US with operations worldwide, Nasdaq-listed Inseego Corp. is a leading global provider of software-as-a-service (SaaS) and solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT). The company sees airport asset tracking as a growth market and to that end recently formalized its partnership with Undagrid, a solution provider for non-motorized assets. Together, they can provide owners of assets across airports a complete asset utilization solution. 'At any given moment, an airport is filled with thousands of people, staff members, vehicles, and other pieces of equipment. That is millions of dollars in investment moving around just a few square miles of area. Tracking and monitoring these assets is vital to airports,' explains Steve Brown, VP Sales at Inseego.

Inseego has operated under its current name and ownership structure since 2016; it was formerly known as Novatel Wireless. The company has grown both organically and through acquisitions. The two major acquisitions that have led it to where it is today, firmly positioned in the IoT space are that of Feeney Wireless, a privately held, US-based provider of end-to-end IoT solutions and services, and DigiCore, a leading provider of advanced machine-to-machine communication and telematics solutions best known for its Ctrack-branded asset tracking tools. Both companies were acquired in 2015. Mr. Brown, who joined the company in August of this year, says that while they are still in the process of integrating the three brands (Novatel Wireless, Feeney and DigiCore/Ctrack), they are well on their way to becoming a pure-play IoT services company. Its offering includes a variety of products and services related to WiFi networks, IoT (Internet of Things) and telematics, like mobile hotspots, universal serial bus modems, and mobile tracking machine-to-machine devices, communications and applications software and cloud services.

Inseego's asset tracking business was traditionally focused on the automotive industry, but the company is broadening its scope and looking to leverage its expertise to new markets. Airports represent the first new market they focus on; a logical choice, according to Mr. Brown, as airports have some very expensive assets that need to be tracked and monitored. In addition to vehicles, however, airports also have non-motorized assets. Rather than duplicate the Ctrack model, Inseego concluded it made more sense to team up with Undagrid, who specialize in solutions for non-motorized assets, which perfectly complement Inseego's
offering. Undagrid launched their unique sensor & localization-based solution a few years ago with deployments at more than ten airports in Europe and the Middle East.

The partnership between Inseego and Undagrid was recently formalised, but they have been working together on projects for a while now, as Mr. Brown points out. Their most high-profile joint deployment to date is that at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS). With over 58 million passengers per annum, AMS is the fifth busiest airport in Europe. It is the hub for KLM Royal Airline and its independent subsidiary, KLM Equipment Services (KES). In 2015, KES was looking for a way in which to monitor and manage its growing fleet of specialized vehicles and equipment. They wanted to see where each asset was at any time and who was operating it, in order to improve the efficiency of their operations and productivity and safety of their employees and assets. Within two months, Ctrack developed an innovative, user-friendly and unique SaaS platform for multiple departments with KES and other supplier companies operating at the airport. In addition, through Inseego's partnership with Undagrid, GSEtrack has now been integrated to provide the non-motorized component delivering a truly holistic solution to the airport. With Ctrack's Airport Solution, KES has experienced significant ROI as a result of reduced costs and enhanced operational efficiencies. The solution also gave KES complete visibility of the location of all of their assets via a desktop or smartphone application. Ctrack is currently expanding this solution to other GSE service providers at Amsterdam airport not only for equipment but also for vans, trucks and other vehicles.

The partnership has also won additional projects in Germany, Hong Kong and Scandinavia, underscoring Inseego's belief in the continued growth potential in the air service sector. This is a sector which is characterized by sophisticated customer demands, and which requires a user-friendly solution to deliver an end to end asset utilization & tracking system. 'Many airports have dipped their toe in telematics, starting out with the tracking of vehicles, but they now also want to track their other assets,' Mr. Brown explains. 'Ctrack's Airport Solution is now being taken up by other service providers at the airport such as catering and visitors handling, for example. What's driving this market is the need for more efficiency. Our technology produces highly reliable fleet information, which can help achieve considerable operational cost savings. But it also leads to improved customer service levels as well as improved safety and security, while providing the reassurance that assets are secured to prevent authorized access to these machines. Overall, we believe we can contribute to increasing airport efficiency, safety and security.'

published in Business Trends | business magazine for international enterprises
79 Edition 2017