Damco Join Container And Cargo Freight Tracking Alliance

US – Damco, the logistics arm of shipping giant A.P. Moller – Maersk, last week committed to join the DASH7 Alliance™, to work with over forty other organisations in the development of new wireless sensor networks to better enable users to establish the whereabouts and condition of its people, assets and freight and container cargoes.

DASH7 is a wireless sensor networking technology that evolved from the radio-frequency identification and sensing technologies used in the defence industry. Because of its long range, ten-year battery life and its ability to penetrate water, concrete and other materials that can block other Radio Frequency (RF) signals, DASH7 is used extensively today by the military for tracking ocean cargo shipments. To meet the needs of the commercial shipping and supply chain industries, The DASH7 Alliance recently formed the Container Sensing and Security Initiative (CSSI), to define the next generation of cargo container tracking and monitoring devices.

Formed in 2009 the DASH7 Alliance is a coalition of organizations committed to advancing the use of wireless sensor networking technologies based on the ISO18000-7 standard. “We see great potential for DASH7 technology,” said Jeremy Haycock, President of Damco USA. “We hope that by joining the alliance, we can have an impact on how the technology is applied to areas such as container security, perishable goods, air cargo and other applications, thus providing improved service to our customers”.

“When Damco gets involved in a technology alliance it has great potential to move the market,” said Patrick Burns, president of the DASH7 Alliance. “Damco is a thought leader around many supply chain technologies and their involvement in the DASH7 Alliance will greatly advance our efforts to establish DASH7 as the de facto standard for any commercial organization wishing to utilise the technology.”