Container tracking systems set for major growth

According to a new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight, the number of active remote container tracking units deployed on intermodal shipping containers was 77,000 in Q4-2011.
Location Based Systems / March 14, 2012
According to a new research report from the analyst firm 3849 Berg Insight, the number of active remote container tracking units deployed on intermodal shipping containers was 77,000 in Q4-2011. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 66.9 per cent, this number is expected to reach one million by 2016. The penetration rate of remote tracking systems in the total population of containers is estimated to increase from 0.4 per cent in 2011 to 3.6 per cent in 2016. Berg Insight’s definition of a real-time container tracking solution is a system that incorporates data logging, satellite positioning and data communication to a back-office application.

The market for container tracking solutions is still in its early stage. Aftermarket solutions mounted on high value cargo and refrigerated containers will be the first use cases to adopt container tracking. Following its recent acquisitions of Startrak and PAR LMS, 3851 ORBCOMM has emerged as the largest vendor of wireless container tracking devices with solutions targeting refrigerated containers. 213 Qualcomm, 3852 ID Systems and 3853 Telular are prominent vendors focusing on inland transportation in North America, which is so far the most mature market for container tracking solutions. 3856 PearTrack Systems, 3857 Honeywell Global Tracking, EPSa and 3858 Kirsen Global Security are examples of companies offering dedicated solutions targeting the global end-to-end container transport chain.

“Ever since the events of 9/11, there have been a lot of activities to bring container tracking solutions to the market”, said Johan Svanberg, senior analyst, Berg Insight. Technology advancement, declining hardware prices and market awareness now are starting to come together to make remote container tracking solutions attractive. “Container telematics can help stakeholders to comply with regulations and meet the high demands on security, information visibility and transportation efficiency that comes with global supply chains” said Svanberg.
For more information on companies in this article