It is not uncommon to track a consignment sent by courier to know its status. While customers make good use of this service, what do you think companies do after loading and despatching the goods from the production site to the dealer’s end? How do they ensure that there has been no pilferage or theft enroute and that the consignment reaches the destination on time?

To ensure this and more, Novire Technologies has joined hands with Autoplant to transform the remote asset management and logistics space, says the founder and senior partner of Novire Uma Rajan.

In an informal chat with BusinessLine, Uma explained how Novire has helped its customers keep a tab on the fleet, plug fuel pilferage, and ensure arrival at the destination on time. “If such losses are brought under control, companies can save huge amounts, which today is a drain on their resources,” she said.

Sterlite Industries, for instance, has implemented Novire's software since 2013. Its Head (Logistics) N Hariharan said the company, which is into production of copper cables and wires, transports the same to distant destinations. “Our daily despatch of the material is around 550 tonnes and each tonne is valued at over Rs 4 lakh. While vehicle movement monitoring is possible using GPS (Global Positioning Systems), we could not do much beyond that; say for instance, the driver takes a break enroute, we will be able to spot the vehicle but will not know what happened to the driver. With the Novire team taking control and monitoring the fleet, we are now able to breathe easy. The incidence of theft or fuel pilferage has come down considerably,” the company's logistics head said.

Ice cream major Snowman, with a fleet size of 500+ vehicles, has also opted for Novire's software. Its chief Pradeep Dubey said earlier the company had no way of tracking the movement of the vehicle. “With this, we are now able to pull up the driver and order him to restart the vehicle if he were to stop mid-way and, thus, prevent melting of ice-cream.”

“It is not just about tracking a vehicle on the move. The potential of this technology is limitless. The same technology can help some cut losses, while helping others make their systems more efficient,” Uma points out.