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Ultra-Wideband Technology: Redefining Precision in Asset Tracking

Published

8 mois ago

27 mai 2025

Ultra Wideband Technology: Redefining Precision In Asset Tracking

Ultra-Wideband (UWB) is a radio frequency technology operating across a wide spectrum from 3.1 to 10.6 GHz. It functions by transmitting extremely short bursts of radio energy, typically lasting only a few nanoseconds. This pulse-based transmission enables precise distance measurement through techniques such as Time-of-Flight (ToF) and Time-Difference-of-Arrival (TDoA). ToF measures the time taken for a signal to travel between two UWB devices, while TDoA calculates location based on the differences in arrival times of a UWB signal at multiple fixed reference points. UWB technology is standardized under IEEE 802.15.4, with amendments 802.15.4a and 802.15.4z specifically enhancing its ranging capabilities with added security and robustness.

UWB systems provide highly accurate, real-time positioning data, particularly effective in indoor environments where Global Positioning System (GPS) signals are often unavailable or degraded. This capability renders UWB valuable in sectors requiring spatial awareness, including manufacturing, healthcare, and logistics.

Technical Characteristics

Frequency Range: 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz. The wide bandwidth allocated to UWB allows for the transmission of very short pulses, which is fundamental to its precise ranging capabilities. Regulatory bodies, such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States, permit UWB operation within this spectrum under specific power limits to ensure compatibility with other radio services.
Pulse Duration: Nanosecond-scale. The brevity of these pulses minimizes the impact of multipath interference, a common challenge in indoor environments where signals reflect off multiple surfaces. This characteristic enables UWB to resolve closely spaced signal paths, contributing to its high accuracy.
Location Accuracy: Typically 10–30 cm. This level of precision is achieved through the ability to timestamp UWB signals with sub-nanosecond resolution, directly translating to highly accurate distance calculations.
Core Standards:

IEEE 802.15.4: This foundational standard specifies the physical layer (PHY) and media access control (MAC) for low-rate wireless personal area networks (LR-WPANs).
IEEE 802.15.4a: This amendment introduced precise ranging capabilities to the standard, primarily through the analysis of the UWB signal’s Channel Impulse Response (CIR). This allows for high-resolution time measurements essential for accurate distance determination.
IEEE 802.15.4z: This amendment further enhanced UWB ranging by adding secure time-of-flight measurements and improving robustness. It includes cryptographic protection of ranging measurements to mitigate vulnerabilities such as spoofing and relay attacks, thereby increasing the integrity and trustworthiness of location data.

Industry Ecosystem:

The FiRa Consortium is an industry alliance dedicated to promoting interoperability and the widespread adoption of UWB technology across various applications. Member companies include Samsung, Bosch, Cisco, and NXP, among others.

UWB systems exhibit greater resilience than signal strength–based solutions like Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) or Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), particularly in environments characterized by high levels of interference or the presence of metallic obstructions. This resilience is attributed to UWB’s wide bandwidth and low power spectral density.

Comparison with Other Tracking Technologies

Technology
Accuracy
Indoor Use
Battery Life
Real-Time Capability

Barcode
Manual (LoS)
Limited
N/A
No

Passive RFID
~1–5 m
Moderate
Passive
Limited

BLE
~1–5 m
Good
~1 year
Yes

GPS
~3–10 m
No
High
Yes

UWB
10–30 cm
Excellent
~3–5 years
Yes

Deployment Considerations

Parameter
Details

Infrastructure
UWB Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) necessitate the deployment of fixed UWB anchors and mobile UWB tags. Anchors serve as reference points, often powered via Power over Ethernet (PoE) or battery, strategically placed within the tracking area.

Tags
UWB tags are battery-operated devices attached to assets, equipment, or personnel to be tracked. Their low duty cycle operation typically enables battery lifetimes ranging from 3 to 5 years, reducing maintenance requirements. Tag form factors vary based on application needs.

Software
UWB location data requires integration with various enterprise software systems. This includes Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) for asset management and inventory reconciliation, Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) for optimizing picking paths and inventory flow, and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) for tracking work-in-progress materials and personnel within production environments. Integration with analytics platforms provides operational insights.

Cost
The overall cost of a UWB system deployment varies depending on the scale of the implementation, the size and layout of the facility, the desired accuracy level, and the density of anchors required. Specialized UWB components and installation labor contribute to the initial investment.

Security
UWB systems employ features from IEEE 802.15.4z for enhanced security. This includes cryptographic protection of ranging measurements and secure timestamping mechanisms. These features are designed to prevent malicious interference such as spoofing, relay attacks, and unauthorized access to location data.

Verified Real-World Implementations in Logistics

These use cases demonstrate UWB’s application and measurable impact within supply chain logistics:

Warehouse Optimization – Pozyx’s UWB solution was implemented at Bonduelle, a processed vegetable producer, to address the challenge of locating pallets in their large fresh salad factory. By leveraging real-time UWB tracking of pallets, the company achieved a 3% increase in warehouse efficiency. This precision in localization reduced manual search times, resulting in hundreds of hours saved annually per warehouse.
Employee and Forklift Tracking in Warehouses – Navigine deployed a UWB-based real-time tracking system across a 10,000 m² logistics warehouse. Employees and forklifts were equipped with UWB tags, enabling their precise location tracking. This implementation led to a 4% increase in daily task completion per employee and a 3% increase in overall warehouse productivity through optimized routes and workflow monitoring. Furthermore, the system integrated a collision prevention feature, enhancing worker safety within the operational area.
Real-time Goods Receipt and Transport Optimization – TB International collaborated with Inpixon/INTRANAV to integrate a smart warehouse module incorporating both RFID and UWB technologies. This multi-RTLS approach enabled precise localization with UWB and item identification with RFID. The system automated goods receipt processes, provided digital work instructions for sorting operations, and optimized transport orders for forklifts based on real-time location data. These improvements collectively resulted in a nearly 40% increase in operational efficiency, including scannerless storage and retrieval processes.

Standards and Ecosystem

IEEE 802.15.4 This is the foundational standard for low-rate wireless personal area networks (LR-WPANs), upon which UWB operates. Key amendments to this standard have specifically evolved UWB’s capabilities:

802.15.4a: This amendment introduced specific provisions for high-resolution ranging and location capabilities for UWB. It defines mechanisms for more accurate time-of-flight measurements by analyzing the UWB signal’s Channel Impulse Response (CIR).
802.15.4z: This amendment builds upon 802.15.4a, focusing on secure UWB ranging and enhanced robustness. It integrates cryptographic techniques to protect ranging measurements from manipulation and improves the reliability of ranging in challenging radio environments.

FiRa Consortium The FiRa Consortium is an industry alliance established to ensure interoperability among UWB devices from various manufacturers. Its activities include the development of common technical specifications, the establishment of certification programs, and the promotion of UWB technology for secure ranging and precise location. This concerted effort contributes to the growth and diversification of the UWB ecosystem, facilitating broader adoption across industries.

Limitations of UWB

Higher initial hardware and installation cost: Compared to technologies like BLE or passive RFID, UWB systems typically incur higher upfront costs. This is due to the specialized nature of UWB transceivers, antennas, and the precise calibration required for anchor placement during installation.
Tag size and cost may not suit very small or low-value items: The size and unit cost of current UWB tags, driven by component size and battery requirements, can render them impractical for tracking extremely small or disposable, low-value items where cost per tag must be minimal.
Performance may be affected in environments with dense physical obstructions: While generally robust, UWB signal propagation can experience attenuation or severe multipath effects in environments with numerous dense metallic structures or thick concrete walls. This may necessitate a denser deployment of anchors to maintain desired accuracy.
Integration with business software systems is necessary for full ROI: The raw location data generated by a UWB RTLS requires processing and integration with existing enterprise systems (e.g., WMS, ERP, MES) to transform it into actionable insights and enable automated workflows. This integration process can represent a significant portion of the total project cost and complexity.

Ultra-Wideband technology provides precision in indoor asset tracking capabilities. Its technical characteristics, supported by IEEE standards and fostered by the FiRa Consortium, position UWB as a solution for applications requiring accurate, real-time spatial awareness. From logistics terminals to industrial sites, UWB facilitates advanced automation, enhances safety protocols, and contributes to operational efficiency. Verified implementations in supply chain logistics underscore its application in optimizing material flow, improving productivity, and ensuring worker safety.

The post Ultra-Wideband Technology: Redefining Precision in Asset Tracking appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints.

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India–U.S. Trade Announcement Creates Strategic Options, Not Executable Change

Published

10 heures ago

3 février 2026

India–u.s. Trade Announcement Creates Strategic Options, Not Executable Change

The announcement by Donald Trump and Narendra Modi of an India–U.S. “trade deal” has drawn immediate attention from global markets. From a supply chain and logistics perspective, however, the more important observation is not the scale of the claims, but the lack of formal detail required for execution.

At this stage, what exists is a political statement rather than a completed trade agreement. For companies managing sourcing, manufacturing, transportation, and compliance across India–U.S. trade lanes, uncertainty remains the defining condition.

What Has Been Announced So Far

Based on public statements from the U.S. administration and reporting by CNBC and Al Jazeera, several points have been asserted:

U.S. tariffs on Indian goods would be reduced from an effective 50 percent to 18 percent

India would reduce tariffs and non tariff barriers on U.S. goods, potentially to zero

India would stop purchasing Russian oil and increase energy purchases from the United States

India would significantly increase purchases of U.S. goods across energy, agriculture, technology, and industrial sectors

Statements from the Indian government have been more limited. New Delhi confirmed that U.S. tariffs on Indian exports would be reduced to 18 percent, but it did not publicly confirm commitments related to Russian oil, agricultural market access, or large scale procurement from U.S. suppliers.

This divergence matters. In supply chain planning, commitments only become relevant when they are documented, scoped, and enforceable.

Why This Is Not Yet a Trade Agreement

From an operational standpoint, the announcement lacks several elements required to support planning and execution:

No published tariff schedules by HS code

No clarification on rules of origin

No definition of non tariff barrier reductions

No implementation timelines

No enforcement or dispute resolution mechanisms

Without these components, companies cannot reliably model landed cost, supplier risk, or network design changes.

By comparison, India’s recently announced trade agreement with the European Union includes detailed provisions covering market access, regulatory alignment, and investment protections. Those provisions are what allow supply chain leaders to translate trade policy into operational decisions. The U.S. announcement does not yet meet that threshold.

Implications for Supply Chains

Tariff Reduction Could Be Material if Formalized

An 18 percent tariff rate would improve India’s competitive position relative to regional peers such as Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. If implemented and sustained, this could support incremental sourcing from India in sectors such as textiles, pharmaceuticals, and light manufacturing.

For now, however, this remains a scenario rather than a planning assumption.

Energy Commitments Are the Largest Unknown

The claim that India would halt purchases of Russian oil has significant implications across energy, chemical, and manufacturing supply chains. Russian crude has been a key input for Indian refineries and downstream industrial production.

A shift away from that supply would affect energy input costs, tanker routing, port utilization, and U.S.–India crude and LNG trade volumes. None of these impacts can be assessed with confidence without confirmation from Indian regulators and implementing agencies.

Agriculture Remains Politically and Operationally Sensitive

U.S. officials have suggested expanded access for American agricultural exports. Historically, agriculture has been one of the most protected and politically sensitive sectors in India.

Any meaningful liberalization would raise questions around cold chain capacity, port infrastructure, domestic political resistance, and regulatory compliance. These factors introduce execution risk that supply chain leaders should consider carefully.

Compliance and Digital Trade Issues Are Unresolved

Several areas remain undefined:

Whether India will adjust pharmaceutical patent protections

Whether U.S. technology firms will receive exemptions from digital services taxes

Whether labor and environmental standards will be linked to market access

Each of these issues influences sourcing strategies, contract terms, and long term cost structures.

Practical Guidance for Supply Chain Leaders

Until formal documentation is released, a measured approach is warranted:

Avoid making structural network changes based on political announcements

Model tariff exposure using multiple scenarios rather than a single assumed outcome

Monitor customs and regulatory guidance rather than headline statements

Assess exposure to potential energy cost changes in Indian operations

Track implementation of the India–EU agreement as a near term reference point

Bottom Line

This announcement suggests a potential shift in the direction of India–U.S. trade relations, but it does not yet provide the clarity required for operational decision making.

For now, it creates strategic optionality rather than executable change.

Until tariff schedules, regulatory commitments, and enforcement mechanisms are formally published, supply chain and logistics leaders should treat this development as informational rather than actionable. In trade, execution begins only when the documentation exists.

The post India–U.S. Trade Announcement Creates Strategic Options, Not Executable Change appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints.

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Winter weather challenges, trade deals and more tariff threats – February 3, 2026 Update

Published

15 heures ago

3 février 2026

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Winter weather challenges, trade deals and more tariff threats – February 3, 2026 Update

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Published: February 3, 2026

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Weekly highlights

Ocean rates – Freightos Baltic Index

Asia-US West Coast prices (FBX01 Weekly) decreased 10% to $2,418/FEU.

Asia-US East Coast prices (FBX03 Weekly) decreased 2% to $3,859/FEU.

Asia-N. Europe prices (FBX11 Weekly) decreased 5% to $2,779/FEU.

Asia-Mediterranean prices(FBX13 Weekly) decreased 5% to $4,179/FEU.

Air rates – Freightos Air Index

China – N. America weekly prices increased 8% to $6.74/kg.

China – N. Europe weekly prices decreased 4% to $3.44/kg.

N. Europe – N. America weekly prices increased 10% to $2.53/kg.

Analysis

Winter weather is complicating logistics on both sides of the Atlantic. Affected areas in the US, especially the southeast and southern midwest are still recovering from last week’s major storm and cold.

Storms in the North Atlantic slowed vessel traffic and disrupted or shutdown operations at several container ports across Western Europe and into the Mediterranean late last week. Transits resumed and West Med ports restarted operations earlier this week, but the disruptions have already caused significant delays, and weather is expected to worsen again mid-week.

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The resulting delays and disruptions could increase congestion levels at N. Europe ports, but ocean rates from Asia to both N. Europe and the Mediterranean nonetheless dipped 5% last week as the pre-Lunar New Year rush comes to an end. Daily rates this week are sliding further with prices to N. Europe now down to about $2,600/FEU and $3,800/FEU to the Mediterranean – from respective highs of $3,000/FEU and $4,900/FEU in January.

Transpacific rates likewise slipped last week as LNY nears, with West Coast prices easing 10% to about $2,400/FEU and East Coast rates down 5% to $3,850/FEU. West Coast daily prices have continued to slide so far this week, with rates dropping to almost $1,900/FEU as of Monday, a level last seen in mid-December.

Prices across these lanes are significantly lower than this time last year due partly to fleet growth. ONE identified overcapacity as one driver of Q3 losses last year, with lower volumes due to trade war frontloading the other culprit.

And trade war uncertainty has persisted into 2026.

India – US container volumes have slumped since August when the US introduced 50% tariffs on many Indian exports. Just this week though, the US and India announced a breakthrough in negotiations that will lower tariffs to 18% in exchange for a reduction in India’s Russian oil purchases among other commitments. President Trump has yet to sign an executive order lowering tariffs, and the sides have not released details of the agreement, but once implemented, container demand is expected to rebound on this lane.

Recent steps in the other direction include Trump issuing an executive order that enables the US to impose tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba, and threatening tariffs and other punitive steps targeting Canada’s aviation manufacturing.

The recent volatility of and increasing barriers to trade with the US since Trump took office last year are major drivers of the warmer relations and increased and diversified trade developing between other major economies. The EU signed a major free trade agreement with India last week just after finalizing a deal with a group of South American countries, and other countries like the UK are exploring improved ties with China as well.

In a final recent geopolitical development, Panama’s Supreme Court nullified Hutchinson Port rights to operate its terminals at either end of the Panama Canal. The Hong Kong company was in stalled negotiations to sell those ports following Trump’s objection to a China-related presence in the canal. Maersk’s APMTP was appointed to take over operations in the interim.

In air cargo, pre-LNY demand may be one factor in China-US rates continuing to rebound to $6.74/kg last week from about $5.50/kg in early January. Post the new year slump, South East Asia – US prices are climbing as well, up to almost $5.00/kg last week from $4.00/kg just a few weeks ago.

China – Europe rates dipped 4% to $3.44/kg last week, with SEA – Europe prices up 7% to more than $3.20/kg, and transatlantic rates up 10% to more than $2.50/kg, a level 25% higher than early this year.

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Judah Levine

Head of Research, Freightos Group

Judah is an experienced market research manager, using data-driven analytics to deliver market-based insights. Judah produces the Freightos Group’s FBX Weekly Freight Update and other research on what’s happening in the industry from shipper behaviors to the latest in logistics technology and digitization.

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Microsoft and the Operationalization of AI: Why Platform Strategy Is Colliding with Execution Reality

Published

1 jour ago

2 février 2026

Microsoft And The Operationalization Of Ai: Why Platform Strategy Is Colliding With Execution Reality

Microsoft has positioned itself as one of the central platforms for enterprise AI. Through Azure, Copilot, Fabric, and a rapidly expanding ecosystem of AI services, the company is not merely offering tools, it is proposing an operating model for how intelligence should be embedded across enterprise workflows.

For supply chain and logistics leaders, the significance of Microsoft’s strategy is less about individual features and more about how platform decisions increasingly shape where AI lives, how it is governed, and which decisions it ultimately influences.

From Cloud Infrastructure to Operating Layer

Historically, Microsoft’s role in supply chain technology centered on infrastructure and productivity software. Azure provided scalable compute and storage, while Office and collaboration tools supported planning and coordination. That boundary has shifted.

Microsoft is now positioning AI as a horizontal operating layer that spans data management, analytics, decision support, and execution. Azure AI services, Microsoft Fabric, and Copilot are designed to work together, reducing friction between data ingestion, model development, and business consumption.

The implication for operations leaders is subtle but important: AI is no longer something added to systems; it is increasingly embedded into the platforms those systems rely on.

Copilot and the Question of Decision Proximity

Copilot has become a focal point of Microsoft’s AI narrative. Positioned as an assistive layer across applications, Copilot aims to surface insights, generate recommendations, and automate routine tasks.

For supply chain use cases, the key question is not whether Copilot can generate answers, but where those answers appear in the decision chain. Insights delivered inside productivity tools can improve awareness and coordination, but operational value depends on whether recommendations are connected to execution systems.

This highlights a broader pattern: AI that remains advisory improves efficiency; AI that is embedded into workflows influences outcomes. Microsoft’s challenge is bridging that gap consistently across heterogeneous enterprise environments.

Microsoft Fabric and the Data Foundation Problem

Microsoft Fabric represents an attempt to simplify and unify the enterprise data landscape. By combining data engineering, analytics, and governance into a single platform, Microsoft is addressing one of the most persistent barriers to AI adoption: fragmented and inconsistent data.

For supply chain organizations, Fabric’s value lies in its potential to standardize event data across planning, execution, and visibility systems. However, unification does not eliminate the need for data discipline. Event quality, latency, and ownership remain operational issues, not platform features.

Fabric reduces friction, but it does not resolve governance by itself.

Integration with Existing Enterprise Systems

Microsoft’s AI strategy assumes coexistence with existing ERP, WMS, TMS, and planning platforms. Integration, rather than replacement, is the dominant pattern.

This creates both opportunity and risk. On one hand, Microsoft can act as a connective tissue across systems that were never designed to work together. On the other, loosely coupled integration increases dependence on interface stability and data consistency.

In execution-heavy environments, even small integration failures can cascade quickly. As AI becomes more embedded, integration reliability becomes a strategic concern.

Where AI Is Delivering Value, and Where It Isn’t

AI deployments tend to deliver value fastest in areas such as demand sensing, scenario analysis, reporting automation, and exception identification. These use cases align well with Microsoft’s strengths in analytics, collaboration, and scalable infrastructure.

Where value is harder to realize is in autonomous execution. Closed-loop decision-making that directly triggers operational action requires tighter coupling with execution systems and clearer decision ownership.

This reinforces a recurring theme: platform AI accelerates insight, but execution still depends on operating model design.

Constraints That Still Apply

Despite the breadth of Microsoft’s AI portfolio, familiar constraints remain. Data quality, security, compliance, and organizational readiness continue to limit outcomes. AI platforms do not eliminate the need for process clarity or decision accountability.

In some cases, the ease of deploying AI services can outpace an organization’s ability to absorb them operationally. This creates a risk of insight saturation without action.

Why Microsoft Matters to Supply Chain Leaders

Microsoft’s relevance lies in its ability to shape the default environment in which enterprise AI operates. Platform decisions made today influence data architectures, governance models, and user expectations for years.

For supply chain leaders, the key takeaway is not to adopt Microsoft’s AI stack wholesale, but to understand how platform-level AI affects where intelligence sits, how it flows, and who ultimately acts on it.

The next phase of AI adoption will not be defined solely by model performance. It will be defined by how effectively platforms like Microsoft’s translate intelligence into operational decisions under real-world constraints.

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