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Meet GemOne

Exhibiting at IMHX 2022

Stand 5F96

Ahead of IMHX 2022, Patrick Smets - CEO of GemOne, chatted to us about all things IMHX, new product launches, sustainability and key market trends to watch out for.

To learn more about GemOne, visit them at IMHX 2022 or head over to the GemOne website.

It’s a challenging time for the logistics industry. Constant changes relating to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic means businesses need to be both patient and resilient. There are significant staffing issues, as qualified people are more and more sought after. The consequences of Brexit are still uncertain, both for UK businesses and European companies dealing with the UK. And complex factors have impacted on global supply chain issues, meaning logistics and material handling companies need to be flexible in order to manage.

Despite all of this, however, it’s also a time of incredible opportunity. Technological developments have empowered logistics companies to track their vehicles, boost efficiency, operate more safely, and avoid unexpected downtime. Businesses are more and more able to gather valuable data and actionable insights from their machines so that they can unleash the potential of their industrial fleets. And new technologies, in access control, impact detection, proximity warning, and battery monitoring, ensure businesses can make their warehouses safer and more efficient.

In 2022, we’re launching the latest version of our safety management solution for the logistics and material handling industries.Sapphire v3 is designed for both dealers and the end users of machines. It’s the next generation of telematics for the industrial machinery park, a complete ecosystem that makes your warehouse safer and more efficient.

Sapphire v3 allows businesses to see who is using your machines and whether they’re using them safely. Businesses can get impact alerts and lock out vehicles in case of collisions, and enjoy safety features such as driver behaviour analysis, access control, overload detection, license management, and on-screen safety checklists. There are a range of features to help businesses track their vehicles, avoid machine downtime, and boost operational efficiency.

We’re also launching a new telematics solution for forklift dealerships and warehousing companies. Our new 360° proximity warning system is powered by Lopos, specialists in keeping people safe with ultra-wideband technology. It equips businesses with the alerts and actionable insights they need to reduce forklift incidents and make their workplace environments safer.

We’re also launching a new battery monitoring solution which helps businesses avoid unnecessary wear of their industrial batteries, maximise the charge cycles of their batteries, and prolong battery lifespan. It’s important because industrial batteries can be expensive, difficult to monitor, and hard to replace.

Our battery monitoring solution is easy to install, gives companies real time information, and allows them to monitor all their batteries on one single cloud platform. They can receive reports and warnings on relevant battery parameters, including: voltage, current, temperature, internal resistance, state of charge, and state of health. Businesses can lower their operational costs by monitoring battery conditions, fillings, improper use, and service intervals. 

Sustainability as a theme is at the core of telematics systems. A major element of this is the complete move away from paper checklists and the collation of information and data on physical documents to a system of digital logging.

Our safety checklists are displayed on a 7” colour touchscreen powered by either WiFi or 4G and features such as licence management, access control, and automatic collision lock-out are all digital tools which help businesses comply with safety guidelines without the use of reams of paper. All of the data collected from the warehouse is available to see in an online cloud that offers valuable business insights.

In addition, our telematics systems help to create sustainable driving habits, identifying harsh braking or acceleration, assessing driver behaviour so businesses can optimise the efficiency of vehicle emissions. Service and maintenance features also contribute to more sustainable use of machines by helping to avoid the costs and downtime associated with technical issues. 

It’s clear that technological change is coming in a major way for companies in the logistics and material handling industries. It’s inevitable. Those who are not engaging in the digital transformation of their companies will get left behind. Embracing technology is about future-proofing your business.

But there are so many technologies available, at various stages of development and with different functionalities, that it can be difficult for businesses in the logistics and material handling industry to choose what’s right for them.

Telematics, in particular, presents a massive opportunity: incredible amounts of data from all your vehicles and machinery which gives you invaluable insights to make your business safer and more efficient.

Another major trend which I see shaping the industry over the next few years is the increased focus on safety. There are more regulations and guidelines at national level and as part of industry guidelines than ever before. There’s an increasing focus on employee welfare and a desire to ensure staff are safe. Incidents in the workplace can lead to significant loss—to both human life and to business. And safety impacts on insurance premiums, employee attendance at work, and perhaps most starkly: warehouse efficiency.