Acquired by global manufacturer Emerson in summer 2016, real-time data logger specialist Locus Traxx Worldwide Europe – and traditional logger provider Paksense – are coming together to deliver an offer that the company believes will not only improve market share, but broaden its product portfolio and appeal to buyers
The last 12 months have been marked by a period of huge change for US-based real-time cargo data tracker specialist Locus Traxx. Purchased by Emerson Electric in late June of this year. This acquisition was then followed by another acquisition of PakSense, a provider of traditional loggers, which formed the new business, Emerson Cargo Solutions which can now offer an extended product portfolio and a new network of international contacts within a single global business structure
One of those still active within the company is Locus Traxx Worldwide Europe managing director Jan-Willem Schrijver, who says the company’s recent appearance at the Amsterdam Produce Show as part of the Emerson presence was the first time the two brands have exhibited under a single umbrella, which he argues is a distinct advantage.
In fact, Schrijver believes there is still a lot of demand for traditional rather than real-time data loggers. “With PakSense, we cover the whole portfolio, meaning we can meet the needs of customers who have different demands,” he says.
“The ambition is that our customers can benefit from the expanded product portfolio. We have distributors, representatives and direct customers in Europe that can now purchase both PakSense loggers and real time trackers from Locus Traxx.”
Start-up origins
Formed as a start-up only seven years ago, the integration of Locus Traxx into Emerson is, says Schrijver, the next stage in the Jupiter, Florida-based firm’s development.
A manufacturer and service provider, Emerson – which has operations and coverage throughout the globe has a significant presence in the US, China and Europe. Emerson also has a significant presence in the UK in the form of the cooler monitoring technology that it provides to major grocery retailers across the country.
“The good thing about being part of such a large, recognized technology company is they already do a lot for our customers,” says Schrijver. “For us, it’s very good because they can introduce Locus Traxx to the network they already have up-and-running.”
Near-field technology
One PakSense unit that Schrijver believes is very interesting for fresh produce and logistics companies is a logger that makes use of near-field technology. “Traditional loggers are taken from the reefer vessels to your desktop and then you download the data,” he explains. “With near-field technology, you download the data by scanning the device with your mobile phone or tablet. If you are a receiver and you have a smartphone, you can scan the logger and have immediate visibility as to what happened with your supplies.”
Schrijver says Locus Traxx is also likely to benefit from PakSense’s existing humidity technology available with its loggers, which is expected to be particularly valuable for fresh produce clients. “Sometimes we have customers, especially in fresh produce, who have asked for information on humidity – through PakSense, we can offer that,” he says. “It is not real-time, but if you take the real-time data logger from Locus Traxx and the PakSense humidity tracker, then you have a good combination, so it’s very complimentary – before we weren’t really competing with each other because we were entering different markets.”
Schrijver says Locus Traxx and PakSense products and services will now be marketed across the continent under the umbrella of Emerson. He says further expansion is likely with the company having already appointed dedicated sales professionals in Europe.
