Location Accuracy: The Backbone of Modern Supply Chains
Introduction
In modern supply chain operations, the ability to make precise, real-time decisions determines whether goods flow smoothly or operations grind to a halt. Industries like retail, pharmaceuticals, and automotive require location precision not just for awareness, but to fuel downstream actions. A missed arrival window or misrouted shipment can disrupt production, compromise product quality, or result in regulatory penalties.
Whether it’s ensuring temperature stability for sensitive products or enabling just-in-time part delivery, operational precision is not optional. It is foundational. Decklar enables businesses to act with accuracy and speed by transforming real-time signals into decisions that prevent disruption and drive measurable results.
Why Is High Location Accuracy So Difficult?
Achieving reliable, high-accuracy location data in supply chains involves solving multiple engineering challenges:
1. Environmental Interference
GPS signals can be blocked or distorted by:
- Tall buildings (urban canyons)
- Dense forests
- Severe weather conditions
- Even minor interference can lead to inaccurate readings, affecting industries like electronics and chemicals where precise delivery matters.
2. Multi-Modal Logistics
- Supply chains move across land, sea, and air, and each mode introduces distinct timing, infrastructure, and communication challenges:
- Ships in the open ocean may experience delayed or partial location updates.
- Trucks navigating city centers often encounter signal reflections or dropouts.
- Maintaining consistent synchronization for accurate decisions in real-time through all transport types is complex.
3. System Resilience in Harsh Conditions
- Environmental extremes like heat, cold, humidity, or chemical exposure impact system performance.
- Industries such as pharmaceuticals and food and beverage require solutions that operate reliably under these conditions.
4. Signal Dropout and Obstruction
- Real-time location updates can be disrupted in:
- Underground warehouses
- Remote rural areas
- Storage facilities with limited infrastructure
- In sectors like retail and healthcare, even brief signal losses can lead to service failures.
Decklar addresses these challenges by combining AI-driven correction algorithms, resilient infrastructure, and mode-aware system design to ensure real-time informed decisions are both accurate and actionable.
The Precision-Accuracy Challenge: Use Cases That Make It Clear
Understanding the difference between precision and accuracy is key to improving operational performance. In supply chain contexts, this plays out in four ways:
- Low Accuracy, Low Precision: The shipment is reported inconsistently and inaccurately. Think of auto parts arriving at the wrong factory on an unpredictable schedule.
- Low Accuracy, High Precision: The data is consistent but wrong every time. Goods may reliably arrive at the wrong distribution center.
- High Accuracy, Low Precision: The general location is correct, but the data varies. For bulk commodities this might be acceptable, but for temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, it isn’t.
- High Accuracy, High Precision: This is the operational ideal. Shipments arrive exactly where and when expected, backed by reliable and consistent data.
In cold-chain logistics, for instance, knowing exactly where a refrigerated truck is in real time can be the difference between safe delivery and spoiled inventory. In pharma, this precision ensures compliance and preserves product quality during transit.
See how Decklar ensures cold-chain integrity with Automated Quality Release and prevents costly stockouts with Dynamic Replenishment Planning.
Why It’s an Engineering Challenge
Creating a location system that delivers both high accuracy and precision across global supply chains involves solving deeply technical problems:
1. GPS Signal Degradation
Satellite signals can weaken or become inaccurate due to:
- Tall buildings and skyscrapers (urban interference)
- Terrain features or tunnels
- Weather and atmospheric disruptions
- Decklar uses AI-powered correction models to adjust for distortion and deliver more accurate real-time updates in complex environments.
2. Power and Performance Balance
- IoT systems often operate for extended periods without recharging, especially in long-haul logistics.
- Environmental extremes like heat and cold further reduce battery life.
- Decklar designs its solutions for high energy efficiency while maintaining reliable performance throughout the shipment lifecycle.
3. Seamless Multi-Modal Transition
- Shipments commonly move between trucks, planes, and ships.
- Each mode has different infrastructure and data handling standards.
- Decklar enables real-time logic to adapt decisions as shipments transition between environments.
4. From Raw Data to Insight
- IoT-enabled logistics generate large volumes of real-time data.
- The challenge lies not only in collecting this data but in transforming it into clear, timely actions.
- Decklar applies advanced analytics to surface risks, identify delays, and provide actionable recommendations for operational improvement.
Learn how Decklar connects ERP, IoT, and logistics systems through its Integration Hub and revenue impact with In-Transit Revenue Forecasting.
How Decklar Leads in Location Intelligence
Decklar specializes in helping enterprises move from passive systems to intelligent action. Whether the objective is waste reduction, on-time performance, inventory flow, or risk control, Decklar provides the real-time intelligence needed to act with confidence and speed.
Today, precision in logistics isn’t about seeing more. It’s about deciding better. Decklar enables that shift by turning dynamic conditions into intelligent execution.
Location accuracy is the foundation of real-time decisions. Discover how Decklar helps enterprises secure resilience, reduce costs, and improve performance. Request a Personalized Demo Now.
