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When you’re under pressure to feed a growing population, innovation isn’t an option – it’s a necessity.
 
Our character, Daniel, runs a farm. It’s like any other business; it wants to improve quality and minimise waste. But with so many external factors to contend with, Daniel needs to find new ways to achieve this.
 
By using technology in innovative ways, we can help businesses like Daniel’s. Take smart labels, for instance. They could be used in the supply chain to give farmers better control over the quality of the seeds they receive. Every box of seeds would be monitored throughout their entire journey, giving the farmer and supplier greater visibility. They could then ensure the seeds stay at optimum condition – and they’ll know if they don’t.  Just imagine the waste that could be eliminated.
Daniel - Overview
Daniel - How would it work

How would it work?

Smart labels could be used to monitor seeds throughout the entire supply chain.
 
Each label would contain a battery, a module including chipset with integrated SIM (iSIM) and an antenna, which would all work together to create an automated tracking mechanism. With integrated connectivity and cloud applications, there would be complete visibility of the seed boxes, at every stage of the journey – from production, transit and storage all the way to the ‘last mile’ delivery.
 
Metrics, such as temperature and moisture, could be constantly monitored. And, with an estimated €4billion worth of damage caused to goods in transit each year1, such insights could prove invaluable. Despite their innovative capabilities, the labels could also be a relatively low-cost solution and with low power requirement, they could operate continuously for a number of years.

1https://www.hdi.global/int/en/insurance/marine

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What else is possible?

Monitoring seeds is just the start. IoT quality management technologies create a huge range of new possibilities.
 

Smart labels could potentially utilise real-time capabilities. These would be useful in identifying opportunities to sell or move stock in the supply chain to minimise waste. This is especially beneficial for fragile or short shelf-life items, like flowers and medical supplies.

IoT and blockchain would add a new dimension to supply chain transparency, delivered in real time with 5G. They can provide crucial insights into a product’s ‘life cycle journey’, including fair trade verification and the potential root cause of contamination. With all this in place, goods could also be delivered faster.