Centre de documentation / Pulp & Paper (SPOT Trace)

Pulp & Paper (SPOT Trace)

The pulp and paper industry conducts operations in some of Canada’s most challenging and remote locations – areas that are often off-the-cellular grid or where connectivity is unreliable at best. But some forward-thinking companies are turning to satellite technology to meet critical operational and connectivity needs.

Managing Pulp and Paper Assets in Canada’s Forestry Sector

SPOT Trace is increasingly being used to provide customers in the forestry sector with proactive, off-grid asset management wherever their operations take place. SPOT Trace is part of the SPOT for Business suite, a line of satellite solutions for managing assets, advancing business continuity strategies and ensuring lone worker safety.

For one of our customers, a large North American pulp and paper company that produces paper-grade pulp used in a wide range of consumer products, the softwood harvested is sourced from five different forests using a team of contractors. With limited staff assigned to monitor and audit its contractor activity in the field, SPOT Trace provides the company with affordable satellite GPS location services and asset movement alerts. The company has deployed 20 SPOT Trace units for use across an array of different equipment. Each device is set to track in 5-minute intervals, and all devices are monitored from Globalstar’s single, centralized cloud-based platform. Live and historical tracking data is recorded, as well as geo-fencing and live alerts. GPS coordinates from each device allows assets to be accurately tracked via Google MapsTM.

SPOT addresses reliable asset tracking requirements, but also provides an affordable and efficient way to ensure contractor accountability. Field contractor invoices are supported by data from SPOT Trace, providing visibility into where and how that work was performed. Automated inventory logs are generated from tracking data, which are used for audit and loss prevention.

Asset Tracking and Beyond

Designed as a theft-alert and tracking device, SPOT Trace can be deployed on a wide variety of fixed or mobile assets. Small and rugged, with built in, reliable satellite technology, it is ideal for managing fleet and business assets in remote areas without reliable radio, Wi-Fi or cellular service. Managers can drive cost-savings and improve productivity using SPOT Trace, while building redundancy and efficiency into their field operations.

Tracking remote assets beyond cellular is one of many critical operational issues facing resource companies today. Business continuity and lone worker safety are other key areas concern. SPOT X is a ruggedized device that provides two-way satellite messaging and Bluetooth connectivity. This provides a way for managers to comply with lone worker regulations, while addressing corporate HR check-in policies and equipping lone workers with a device that provides improved safety via an SOS link to emergency services.

We’re seeing more and more companies in the forestry sector deploy SPOT for Business solutions, for affordable location-based asset management, business continuity and lone worker safety. Choosing SPOT is an easy decision as it brings the added benefit of technology that runs on one of the newest satellite constellations in the industry – the Globalstar Satellite Network.