At Miggy, we regularly receive special requests, but the one from Noordzee Koeriers BV in Poeldijk stood out. The company, specialized in time-critical transport, was tasked by a pharmaceutical company in Leiden to transport raw materials.
The customer set strict requirements: continuous temperature monitoring, live location data, and automatic reports for each trip. Moreover, it involved shipments that are often transported with ice or cool packs in special cool boxes ("Cool Guard" boxes).
The challenge
In pharmaceutical logistics, every degree counts. A deviation of just a few degrees can mean that a sample becomes unusable.
Noordzee Koeriers was already working with data loggers, but they had to be manually read via USB after each trip. This took time, resulted in extra steps, and only provided insight afterward.
Dennis van der Toorn, CEO at Noordzee Koeriers BV, says:
“We wanted real-time insight into our transports – not just knowing afterward if everything went well. The system also had to be reliable and user-friendly, even for our customers.”
The solution
Miggy supplied the Digital Matter Barra Edge, a battery-powered GPS tracker with a built-in temperature sensor. The data is transmitted every 15 minutes to the Telematics Guru portal, where Noordzee Koeriers can track all trips live.
The end customer has access to their own environment, where only the relevant trackers are visible. As soon as a vehicle or cooler enters a pre-set geo-fence, a report is automatically generated with all temperature measurements from the trip. That report is sent directly to both Noordzee Koeriers and the pharmaceutical client.
The result:
- Continue data stream without manual actions;
- Direct insight into deviations;
- Less chance of human errors;
- Transparency towards the end customer.
Extreme test
During testing, Noordzee Koeriers went the extra mile.
One of the Barra Edge trackers was placed in a cooler that operates at an average of -65 °C. Theoretically, no standard battery should survive that, but with Energizer batteries, the system just kept working.
Although this falls outside the specifications, it was an interesting practical test. Noordzee Koeriers accepts that under such extreme conditions, the battery drains faster than the normal lifespan of eight to ten years.
What have we learned
This collaboration demonstrates how IoT technology bridges the gap between registration and real-time insight. Where standalone data loggers were previously needed, smart sensors and connectivity now provide a continuous data stream.
Miggy helped Noordzee Koeriers BV not only meet their client's requirements but also simplify internal processes.
Or, as Dennis summarizes it:
“We save time, prevent errors, and provide our customers with immediate proof that their shipment has been transported under perfect conditions. That is exactly the assurance you need in this industry.”
