Quuppa’s Real-Time Locating System (RTLS) platform is a technology that enables real-time indoor tracking. In this interview, Fabio Belloni, co-founder of the company, explains what makes this platform so unique. He also describes how Quuppa and CANCOM support customers in implementing the platform.
7.7.2023 | Christian Schinko, Cancom.info
One of the main arguments you use to promote Quuppa RTLS platform is that companies can track specific assets in real time. What are the main benefits of the platform?
Fabio Belloni: As you mentioned, companies can use our RTLS platform to answer the fundamental question of “Where is it?” This oftentimes involves looking at precisely locating assets such as equipment or tools in factories, logistics hubs, warehouses or other buildings. To ensure that this always works reliably, we use a special form of so-called Angle of Arrival (AoA) technology, which can also be used with conventional Bluetooth® radio chips. In addition, our platform has an open API that allows for integrating various software applications and tools. This makes it highly adaptable and scalable for individual, industry-specific requirements.
In which industries is the RTLS platform already being used?
Fabio Belloni: Many, in fact. The manufacturing and automotive industries, transport and logistics, to name but a few, use our platform. We also serve other vertical markets in sports, safety and security, as well as smart buildings.
What are the main challenges in these industries that Quuppa can address with its solution?
Fabio Belloni: Looking at the industrial market, Quuppa RTLS platform enables customers to have scalable, reliable and highly accurate tracking in real time, which means that our solution provides full visibility of daily production processes. For example, companies can easily identify and eliminate inefficiencies in the production flow or bottlenecks in the process. They can also see at any time where the equipment, tools or materials needed for the production process are located in the factory or at the logistics hubs. They no longer have to spend time searching for these assets. In addition, our RTLS platform enables improved safety and security measures. For example, automatic alerts can be generated when employees enter danger zones.
What are typical use cases, regardless of the industry?
Fabio Belloni: The most common use cases are related to analysing production flow and yield to optimise productivity and resource allocation. They also include asset tracking and asset management. This means, for example, accurately locating assets in buildings and managing them consistently. But many other scenarios are also conceivable, from minimising search time to indoor navigation – from logistics hubs to assembly lines to office buildings.
You have integrated various features into your platform to cover these and other use cases. Which features do customers currently value most?
Fabio Belloni: In addition to real-time process transparency, many customers today see continuous monitoring of real-time location as a way to boost process automation. Knowing the real-time location of assets, combined with business rules, can quickly become a significant advantage for operations and facility managers and business decision-makers. They can use this data to make informed decisions and take corrective actions on the fly.
We have talked a lot about the benefits of the RTLS platform. What do companies need to consider in order to successfully implement the solution?
Fabio Belloni: First of all, companies need to define exactly for which use cases they want to use the RTLS platform. If necessary, we can help with this process by showing examples from other projects and leveraging our many years of experience. Depending on the use case, different levels of tracking accuracy may be required. In some cases, it is sufficient to know the approximate position of the assets, while in other cases, it is necessary to track the position to within ten centimetres. In principle, both scenarios can be implemented with our solution. To speed up the project start, it is often beneficial to include the floor plan of the respective facility. The project can then be planned and realised on this basis.
With CANCOM you are currently implementing the solution for the automotive sector. What are the special considerations in this sector?
Fabio Belloni: In the automotive sector, there are different tracking requirements for each step of the manufacturing and intralogistics processes. As already mentioned, some assets need to be tracked precisely, while others only need to be tracked roughly, i.e. it needs to be determined whether they are present or not. Good listing and planning are crucial here – and this is where we at Quuppa, together with CANCOM, support our customers. One thing is clear: companies in the automotive industry cannot avoid the topic of reliable real-time tracking: for example, if there are 100 similar cars in the parking areas, it is almost impossible to distinguish them without tracking.
Apart from planning, what other measures do Quuppa and CANCOM take to ensure the success of the implementation?
Fabio Belloni: Although our partnership with CANCOM is still relatively new, we are quickly learning to work together effectively. We are currently working on various projects, e.g. in the automotive sector, where we are learning from each other and optimising our collaboration to ensure a smooth implementation. As mentioned earlier, we help customers list and plan the various application scenarios for the RTLS platform. We also install the solution at the customer’s site. Finally, we ensure the smooth operation of the platform after implementation, if the customer so wishes.
Finally, let’s take a look into the future. How would Quuppa like to develop the RTLS platform further?
Fabio Belloni: We have several developments in the pipeline to further optimise our platform. Last year, for example, we launched the Quuppa for Enterprise offering, a cloud solution that allows companies to manage multiple sites easily and centrally. This offering also integrates easily with third-party platforms thanks to its APIs. We are also working to simplify deployment and packaging our offering with a more comprehensive solution for our customers.
The interview was originally published at Cancom.info (in German).
Quuppa and CANCOM recently demonstrated how the Quuppa solution works at the transport logistic trade fair. Read more (in German).