NZ glass manufacturing disruptor, Architectural Glass Products (AGP), is using of Internet of Things (IoT) technology from NZ’s Pollin8 and AU’s Thinxtra for around-the-clock asset tracking, which has allowed it to set the national standard for order-to-delivery services in less than 3 years.

AGP was founded in response to market demand for high quality glass that can be manufactured and delivered in short timeframes – while competitors take weeks, AGP takes four days. Established in 2019, the company has become the nation’s largest manufacturer of insulated glass units (IGUs). It currently operates a four-hectare, highly automated factory in Hautapu through which it services Te Ika-a-Māui.

AGP owns over 1,750 purpose-built delivery trolleys, worth NZ$3,000 each, to transport its fragile, high-value glass products. To reduce the risk of these assets going missing and ensure their efficient return to the facility, AGP installed low-cost IoT tracking devices from Pollin8, which communicate data over Thinxtra’s 0G Network. The data is provided in real time through Pollin8’s sophisticated software.

As well as cutting losses and allowing it provide high service levels, the IoT solution ensures customers’ cash flow can be improved significantly – construction/building companies don’t need to delay their own projects because they can get their goods sooner, with visibility throughout the process. It also provides an opportunity to reduce carbon emissions.

Technical details

New Zealand glass manufacturer, Architectural Glass Products (AGP), has deployed Internet of Things (IoT) technology from Pollin8 and Thinxtra for around-the-clock tracking of its products and delivery trolleys, ensuring it avoids losing assets, and bolstering its industry leading customer service.

“Before AGP came to market, the time from ordering the glass to delivery was unpredictable, and customers never quite knew specifically when their products would arrive. We have completely disrupted the market by delivering in four days,” said Gene Sanford at AGP.

“Having Pollin8 and Thinxtra’s joint IoT solution in place from the start has proved central to our ability to deliver this level of service. Rather than resorting to the time consuming task of counting assets on a map with a basic GPS solution, we have a dashboard and data that inform us which customer has the trolleys and how long they have had them, enabling us to quickly take action to maintain our high service levels.

“Our customers’ cash flow can be improved significantly knowing their supply will be delivered on time; getting our assets back quickly to fulfil the next set of orders helps mitigate any knock-on effect that might impact them,” added Sanford.

Pollin8’s IoT devices are fixed to every AGP delivery trolley, and record location data at all times, including where GPS signals are unavailable. That information is transmitted over Thinxtra’s national low power wide area network (LP WAN), known as the 0G Network, and provided to AGP in real-time through web and mobile applications in an easy-to-understand format.

Nick Pickering, CEO at Pollin8, said, “Although GPS based tracking solutions have been available for powered vehicles for decades, IoT has introduced the capability to deliver tracking of non-powered assets using devices with long battery life in an affordable manner and at scale. That means we can provide AGP with not only around the clock tracking, but tailor the solution to its unique business requirements now and as its business expands in the future.”

AGP selected Pollin8 and Thinxtra as the combined IoT solution is extremely cost-effective, making it ideally suited to the manufacturer’s plans for continued expansion. The devices are quick to install, and the 0G Network allows AGP to simply connect the sensors to the IoT without needing to invest in building or maintaining any communications infrastructure. AGP also stands to save costs over time as the devices are battery-powered and last several years, reducing need for replacement, and don’t require ongoing maintenance.

Nicholas Lambrou, CEO at Thinxtra, said, “Since foundation, AGP has built a highly-sophisticated operation underscored by incredible efficiency, which has catapulted the company to the pinnacle of glass supply in NZ. By bringing IoT into the mix from a very early stage, AGP gained granular visibility over the assets responsible for safely transporting its glass products to a fast-growing network of customers, avoiding unnecessary losses, and maintaining its stringent customer service level agreements.”

Craig Weise, CEO of New Zealand Green Investment Finance (NZGIF), said, “The combination of IoT devices and data has created a tremendous opportunity to reduce carbon emissions. With the ability to better track vehicles and assets, organisations can reduce their environment impact by optimising fleets and routing to shorten time on the road, while avoiding waste from lost assets. It’s great to see Thinxtra continuing to partner with companies to help them achieve efficiencies and reduce their carbon impact.”