FourKites Releases Real-Time Temperature Tracking Solution for Shippers

FourKites, provider of multimodal supply chain visibility solutions for Fortune 500 companies, has launched a real-time temperature and location tracking solution for shippers. The offering will allow FourKites' customers to monitor shipment temperatures and ensure compliance across their supply chains.

FourKites' real-time temperature tracking makes it easier for enterprise shippers to comply with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), according to company officials, which requires shippers and carriers to take steps to ensure that temperature-sensitive foods remain within specified safe temperature ranges during transit. FourKites was developed for shippers to reduce spoilage, operational costs and one-time spot buys. It can also allow shippers to identify potentially non-compliant loads earlier in the shipping process, before those loads make it all the way to their destinations or have to be diverted to quality centers.

"As a partner to the largest food and beverage companies in the U.S., helping our customers achieve FSMA compliance is a natural evolution of our product," says Mathew Elenjickal, founder and CEO of FourKites. "Our real-time temperature tracking solution will enable customers across a wide range of industries to ensure the safety and freshness of their products."

Smithfield Foods, a producer of pork products, uses FourKites to deliver its products.

"As the world's largest pork producer, we are committed to delivering the market's freshest and highest quality product," says Dennis Organ, senior vice president of supply chain at Smithfield Foods. "The Temperature Tracking solution from FourKites will help us consistently ensure that our product meets stringent temperature requirements across our operations, using the same innovative FourKites technology that we use to track our shipments around the country."

The lack of real-time connectivity between carriers and shippers has created challenges in transporting temperature-sensitive goods. FourKites' solution relays load temperatures in tandem with location data every 15 minutes from leading telematics and trailer temperature tracking manufacturers. Customizable notifications alert users as soon as temperatures fall outside a specified range. Visualization and analysis tools enable shippers to review individual and aggregated load temperatures over time to spot trends and to compare against industry benchmarks to improve operationally.