How Blackberry Radar Builds on its Legacy to Innovate Non-powered Asset Tracking

We spoke to Shannon Hamilton, SVP, Sales and BBR to learn about the company's history and the tradition of high-quality products that continues to set them apart

If you’re of a certain vintage, you can still remember the early days of BlackBerry’s pioneering efforts in mobile communications. Over time, the devices became synonymous with innovation and digital security. In fact, the company’s security technology was so robust that when Barack Obama became President, he was still permitted to carry his BlackBerry, albeit a highly modified Presidential version.

Flashforward a couple of decades. Today, Waterloo-based Blackberry Radar continues to build on that legacy with an offering for the transportation and logistics industry—specifically for non-powered assets. To learn more, CITT spoke with Shannon Hamilton, BlackBerry Radar’s VP, Sales for the inside scoop.

Shannon Hamilton
VP, Sales
BlackBerry Radar

 

According to Hamilton, BlackBerry Radar started in 2016 as part of an effort to pivot away from the mobile phone business.

“We still manufacturer devices, with many of the same hardware & software engineers that were involved in building our handsets from back in the day,” she said. “That gives us a lot of experience that we can leverage to be the most rugged, secure, and reliable device in the industry. So, in 2016 when the company looked at all our areas of expertise and chose a focus, we selected Intermodal Transportation as an area that needed an extremely rugged and reliable solution and that was under served by technology.

Operational efficiency for non-powered assets

The result of the pivot was the creation of a device and software reporting platform designed to provide operators with an efficient way to track and manage all the non-powered assets—trailers, chassis, containers, and rail cars—that keep our industry moving.

“Our software interface is very focused on helping users better manage the equipment they have. We help them create operational efficiencies that lead to data drive decisions for their non-powered assets—how many assets they have, where they are, and what's their availability.”

In addition to tracking the whereabouts of non-powered assets, Blackberry Radar can also help shippers keep on top of the quality and condition they’re in. she explained, “Going beyond location, we also provide data points on things like impact detection. Are assets being properly used? Or have they endured specific conditions that may have resulted in damages. For example, were the contents of a trailer damaged? Did a specific asset itself sustain damage? If you're a dispatcher or someone responsible for making sure you’ve got enough chassis available in a specific location, now you can pull a report to know how many are loaded or bare without sending an employee out to do a manual yard check.”

Yard management made easy

Another benefit to all this data, is in how it can be used to facilitate yard management. Shannon explained that BlackBerry Radar’s data collection capabilities allow users to create geofences with set perimeters.

“When it comes to yard management, BlackBerry Radar provides the ability to create very complex and layered geofences within our user interface. This means that if you've got a large distribution center or a large yard, you can start partitioning them, and set notifications to let you know when specific assets reach specific locations. For operators, it eliminates the need for yard checks, and allows them to share up-to-date shipping information with customers.”

In addition to knowing where everything is, BlackBerry Radar can also help manage maintenance protocols based on usage. When assets arrive inside a geofence, they can be checked and have their condition logged. Since non-powered assets typically don’t have odometers (unless someone has put a hub odometer on a wheel), this is much more effective than time or distance-based maintenance schedules that can often be missed. 

“Imagine a scenario now where you digitally know the mileage on your non powered assets. You know where they are and can label them to let you know when inspections are due. This means you can start building reports with inspection due dates that can be flagged when inspections need to happen.”

User-friendly features

Theft deterrence

Why this is important, in addition to the obvious, is that BlackBerry Radar devices don’t need to be wired in meaning they can be hidden to deter theft.

“We hear a lot of customers are trying to hide devices these days because theft is on the rise. Because we don’t require any wiring and no direct access to sun (for solar power), our devices can be installed in all sorts of stealthy places, under a trailer, mounted onto a chassis, or on the top of a trailer—places thieves aren’t programmed to go.”

“Single plane of glass”

Engineering Evolution

The heart of BlackBerry is engineering, the Radar solution is no different. It is constantly being upgraded and refined based on the requirements of the transportation industry and customer requirements. BlackBerry Radar just launched a new intrinsically safe solution, the Radar H2M IS, which is built specifically for the Rail, Bulk Carrier and Petro-chemical industries. Certified to the highest standard, C1/D1, for safety in potentially flammable or volatile situations. BlackBerry believes in the value of its Radar product and has invested in it consistently over time to keep evolving the solution and maintain it’s world-class standard.  


Clearly, BlackBerry Radar has a lot to offer shippers and transportation companies in today’s data-rich environment. We’re excited to see what the future holds as their story continues and thrilled to learn about the continued evolution of this Canadian success story.