Less calling. Less searching. More automating.

Manual booking of inventories and calling carriers and service providers is a thing of the past. With our solution, you always know where containers, components, or other assets are at any given moment. Automatically booked, seamlessly documented, and without a call to the carrier.

Challenges

What slows down your logistics every day.

In logistics, container cycles, and extended workbenches, typical blind spots arise every day where material is physically present but invisible in your system.

01

Your system is always one step behind reality

Manual bookings are delayed, forgotten, or simply not made. The ERP knows the theoretical progress, but where the material physically stands, no one can say for sure.

02

Small load carriers that leave the plant disappear systemically

At the supplier, at the refiner, in transit: What passes the plant gate is invisible to your system. Return dates must be requested by phone. Overdue shipments are only recognized when assembly is already waiting.

03

Every load carrier that doesn't come back costs twice

Unfound containers lead to new procurements. The result is too large and expensive pools due to lack of transparency. Capital is tied up in containers that no one can find.

04

5–6 hours daily for searching that shouldn't be necessary

In goods receipt and quality assurance alone, searching for material binds capacities daily. Not because the material is missing, but because no one knows where it stands.

05

The component is in the yard, but SAP says it's with the supplier.

Parts come back from galvanizing, hardening, or machining. They have long since arrived physically, but are still booked externally in your system. Assembly waits for release, which would have long been possible. Idle times arise from lack of data, not capacity.

06

The empties graveyard grows because you lose track

In kitting, small load carriers are missing. In goods receipt, there are no free containers. At the same time, load carriers have been standing unused in hall areas for 48 hours that no one is monitoring.

The Solution

What Track & Trace specifically changes in your logistics.

This is how we make your material flow visible in real-time.

Eliminate blind spots

From goods receipt to return of empties: Every movement of a load carrier is visible in real-time – internally, with the carrier, and in transit.

Automatic process bookings

Geofencing replaces manual scans: As soon as a load carrier enters or leaves a zone, the system automatically books in SAP or WMS.

Make external supply chain visible

GPS-Trackers monitor KLTs, containers, and high-value assets without on-site infrastructure – directly via cellular, worldwide.

Capital protection & shrinkage prevention

Gate monitoring reports unauthorized movements. Cycle time analyses show how much smaller your container pool could really be.

Data-driven control

Dwell time analyses, bottleneck detection, throughput times per processing station – decisions are based on what really happens.

ERP & WMS integration

Open API, direct SAP connection, geofencing logic for existing systems. No parallel system, but automated data flow.

What Track & Trace specifically changes in your logistics.
These roles are already using our solution

Who is our Track & Trace solution in logistics & supply chain suitable for?

Who is our Track & Trace solution in logistics & supply chain suitable for?

Head of Logistics

"Whether the components are already back, I only know after a call to the carrier. In SAP, they are still listed as 'in external processing'."

  • Real-time visibility of the entire material flow – internal and external
  • Automation where manual bookings previously produced errors
  • Reduce operating costs without increasing staff with rising complexity
  • Reliable data for supply chain decisions in real-time

Warehouse Team Leader

"The kit has left the kitting area – where it is now, I can't tell you. I'll call in assembly."

  • Locate every KLT and kit on the digital hall plan
  • Automatic bookings without scan – no manual extra effort
  • Recognize empties bottlenecks before kitting and goods receipt come to a standstill
  • Fewer inquiries between assembly and logistics

Container Manager

"Every load carrier that doesn't come back costs me twice: once to procure again + missing capacity."

  • Seamless visibility of every load carrier – even with external partners
  • Optimize pool sizes based on actual cycle times
  • Automatic feedback as soon as containers leave the plant
  • Gate monitoring for shrinkage prevention without personnel deployment
Use Cases

The right Track & Trace solution for your industry.

Each industry has its own requirements for tracking and tracing. Choose your industry and we will show you how our Track & Trace solution works in practice.

MACHINE ENGINEERING

Goods receipt & QA transparency

Asset tags make delivered components visible from delivery. Disposition and production see the QA status in real-time – without inquiries.

SPECIAL VEHICLE CONSTRUCTION

External high value tracking

Heavy-duty assemblies at external partners and in transit are GPS-monitored. ETA display replaces the call to the carrier.

AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS

KLT & container cycle

Seamless visibility of every KLT – internally, with the supplier, with the OEM. Reduces pool sizes and eliminates bottlenecks in synchronized supply chains.

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

Seamless chain of custody

Every movement documented with timestamp and location. Audit-proof history for MDR and FDA requirements – automatically generated.

BUILDING COMPONENTS

Extended workbench

GPS-Trackers automatically report the return from the refiner to SAP – even before the first manual scan occurs. No more idle times.

Your industry not listed?

Talk to us about your use case.

In 30 minutes, we show how Track & Trace can work in your logistics – industry-independent and concrete.

References

These companies already trust our Asset Tracking solution in their logistics & supply chain

Leading companies rely on our Asset Tracking solutions and feel a difference from day one.

Webinar

Have you lost track of your reusable cycles?

In our webinar, you will learn how to eliminate chaos and efficiently manage your container cycles.

Häufige Fragen zu unseren Lösungen

Track & Trace in logistics & supply chain makes every movement of materials, load carriers, and shipments visible in real-time, from goods receipt through plant logistics to transport between locations and partners. Movement data automatically flows as events into SAP, WMS, and MES. This eliminates blind spots, replaces calls to the carrier, and replaces manual bookings with automatic status changes.

Track & Trace in logistics solves the five most expensive symptoms of lack of transparency: search times of five to six hours daily, double container orders, shipments without reliable ETA, incorrect SAP statuses, and silent shrinkage losses in cycles with suppliers. Instead of phone and Excel, the solution provides verified position and status, automatically booked in the target systems.

Track & Trace in logistics complements WMS and TMS, it does not replace them. WMS and TMS plan and book, but only know the reality in the yard, warehouse, and on the road through manual entries. Track & Trace provides the physical real-time layer: where a KLT, a special machine, or a shipment actually is and automatically corrects the SAP status when leaving or reaching a zone.

The right tracking technology in logistics depends on range, value, and zone accuracy. Within the plant and warehouse, Active RFID & BLE Tracking works with zone accuracy for KLT, tools, and load carriers. Outside the plant, GPS Asset Tracking autonomously takes over via cellular, without infrastructure at the partner. For sensitive transports, Shipment Monitoring complements temperature, shock, and light exposure.

Geofencing triggers bookings as soon as a tracked load carrier or truck enters or leaves a defined zone. When entering the plant premises, the system generates a goods receipt event, and when leaving a loading zone, the shipping status. Both events are directly passed to SAP or WMS. Manual scans at the ramp and subsequent correction bookings are eliminated.

Track & Trace prevents shrinkage with reusable load carriers by giving each KLT, mesh box, and special frame a unique position and dwell time history. Containers that remain too long with the supplier trigger an automatic escalation. This eliminates the empties graveyard, where containers disappear unused in the farthest corner of the hall, and stops double orders due to perceived shortages.

Our Track & Trace solution integrates via REST-API, OPC UA, and SAP-specific adapters into SAP S/4HANA, WMS, TMS, and MES. Position and status data arrive as structured events, not as raw data streams. Master data on load carriers, tours, and shipments are reconciled bidirectionally.

A dedicated IT project team is not required for the introduction of Track & Trace in logistics. SmartMakers provides hardware, the thingsHub platform, and integration as a managed service. On your side, a logistics specialist and an IT contact for connection to SAP, WMS, or TMS are sufficient.

Contact us

When the data in SAP lies, we bring the truth to you.

Together with our experts, we find a suitable solution to bring reality into your systems.