Container manufacturer UNIT45 has selected ORBCOMM to provide its end-to-end telematics solution and container-monitoring cloud platform for its fleet of diesel-electric containers on the New Silk Road between China and Europe.

According to ORBCOMM, its complete telematics solution includes hardware, connectivity, device management and the CargoWatch web reporting platform. The ORBCOMM devices are dual-mode and automatically switch to satellite when there is no cellular coverage. CargoWatch provides data such as container temperature, diesel volume and machine performance, as well as other alerts and alarms. The platform also enables UNIT45 to remotely control the temperature or start and stop the reefer.

“UNIT45 is an innovator and market leader in the European transport industry, and we are pleased to support their efforts to pioneer smart containers for the New Silk Road with ORBCOMM’s powerful IoT technology,” said Marc Eisenberg, chief executive officer of ORBCOMM. “By leveraging ORBCOMM’s intermodal solution, UNIT45 can ensure full visibility, conditioned transport and accurate recording of critical location and operational data for their containers and cargo from door to door, which will provide a strong and lasting return on investment.”

ORBCOMM’s container-monitoring solution allows UNIT45’s logistics customers and shippers to see the data on their own and interface it with their internal enterprise systems.

“It is essential for us to see where our container units are, monitor what is happening with them and remotely control the units, and we need to have all of this information directly on our computer screens,” said Jan Koolen, managing director of UNIT45. “ORBCOMM’s advanced solution does all of this and more to help our shipping customers enhance the efficiency, stability and security of their transport operations, and we see ORBCOMM as an integral part of UNIT45’s value proposition for the long term.”

The deployment of the solution is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2017, according to ORBCOMM.