The Rise of Hybrid Asset Tracking: RFID, BLE, GPS, and Unified Visibility
Today, organizations manage assets throughout various environments such as warehouses, retail stores, field locations, and transportation networks. With operations becoming increasingly distributed, organizations have a greater need to have real-time visibility into their assets’ movements and statuses. Organizations can no longer rely on periodic updates or limited capabilities to track their assets. They require continuous, accurate information to make timely, informed decisions.
A single type of tracking technology can often provide inadequate support for organizations’ needs. Each tracking technology, such as RFID, BLE, or GPS, has unique strengths, yet they all have limitations depending on where they are used and for what purpose. This has resulted in the development of hybrid asset tracking, which combines different tracking technologies to cover a broad service area using multiple methods.
By combining the tracking technologies of RFID, BLE, and GPS into a common system, organizations can now obtain complete visibility of their assets not only inside, but also outside. This represents an important transition towards an increasingly interconnected and data-driven approach to asset management.
Why Single-Technology Tracking Falls Short
When using one type of tracking technology alone, there are often gaps in visibility, simply because all of these technologies are created to perform well under some circumstances, but not all operationally.
For example, RFID is great for tracking inventory and identifying inventory in close proximity; however, it does not work well for tracking inventory or assets that are moving out of a controlled environment. GPS is excellent for tracking outdoor movement, but it is not reliable for providing location data when your assets are inside a building. BLE technology has capabilities for indoor positioning and proximity detection; however, it is not designed to do longer distance tracking.
Businesses that are only using one type of tracking technology will have inconsistent tracking and incomplete data in relation to their assets; therefore, it will be difficult for them to have a reliable and ongoing view of where their assets are moving.
What Is Hybrid Asset Tracking?
Hybrid asset tracking combines multiple technologies to provide continuous visibility across different environments. Instead of relying on a single method, it integrates RFID, BLE, and GPS to track assets as they move between indoor and outdoor locations.
This approach ensures that assets can be monitored at every stage, from storage and handling to transportation and field operations. Data from each technology is brought together into a unified system, creating a consistent view of asset status and movement.
Building Unified Visibility Across Systems
When you combine multiple types of technology, such as RFID, BLE, and GPS, into one solution, you’re utilizing Hybrid Tracking to its fullest potential. If those technologies are not integrated to create a unified view of the assets’ movement, each one will remain in a standalone system and will not provide a full picture of how the asset is moving.
By integrating the data from each different type of technology into one unified platform, companies can see what assets are doing at all times, regardless of the environment they are in. There is no need to spend any time reconciling different sources of tracking data, as all tracking data will be reconciled automatically in real-time.
When companies have real-time, unified visibility into their assets’ location and status, teams can work with the same information at the same time, thereby increasing efficiency while eliminating manual data entry errors. The integrated tracking data eliminates confusion about where an asset is located and allows for timely adjustments to operations as needed.
Benefits of Hybrid Asset Tracking
Hybrid Asset Tracking gives the organization an entirely different perspective on its current state of Assets. For example, Organizations can control the flow of their assets from the warehouse to transit and field operations by using multiple technologies, providing continuous visibility without interruptions.
The increased accuracy is another key benefit derived from the use of Hybrid Asset Tracking. Each of the tracking technologies has a defined area of operation; therefore, they are able to reduce the number of blind spots that are created by using a single method of tracking. As a result, the organization can create a more accurate and consistent location profile for its assets.
Increased Operating Efficiency can be achieved through the increased visibility provided by Hybrid Asset Tracking. Because of this increased level of visibility, teams do not need to spend as much time locating their assets, verifying their inventory, or performing other tasks associated with the administration of the assets. As a result, processes such as inventory check-in/check-out, tracking the movement of assets, and monitoring the delivery of assets can be completed more quickly and efficiently.
Additionally, organizations can make faster decisions based on real-time data as a result of Hybrid Asset Tracking. Organizations can use real-time data to respond quickly to unforeseen circumstances and will be in a better position to maintain continuity of operation while improving control over their assets.
Role of Analytics and Data Platforms
Organizations need to have the right systems in order to make full use of hybrid tracking technologies. RFID, BLE, and GPS technologies create large amounts of data, and if they are not structured properly, extracting meaningful information from the data becomes difficult.
Analytic systems help convert this data into actionable intelligence. By creating dashboards and report formats around tracking data, companies can see where assets are being moved to, recognize trends in their operations, and measure their overall productivity. Teams can thereby move away from just monitoring movements to actually improving their efficiencies.
TracAsset is an example of a solution that can help with this process by bringing together all of the different tracking technology data into a single system. By consolidating data and performing standardized analytics on data within one platform, the corporation is provided the ability to make informed operational decisions based on real-time asset data, thereby improving both control and operational performance.
Conclusion
Hybrid Asset Tracking is transforming how organizations gain visibility throughout their operations that span multiple locations. Organizations can now utilize a seamless approach that combines technologies, including RFID technology, BLE technology, and GPS technology, in order to eliminate the drawbacks associated with using a single technology. This will provide the ability to continuously track assets in both indoor and outdoor environments.
Not only will this unified approach increase asset management accuracy, but hybrid asset tracking will also increase asset management efficiency, along with better decision-making capabilities. With interconnected data systems and platforms such as TracAsset, asset managers will be able to convert tracking data into meaningful insights that will benefit daily operations as well as long-term forecasting.
As asset management evolves towards greater reliance on data, hybrid asset tracking will be critical for enabling consistent visibility, increased control, and greater responsiveness in asset management operations.
