Semtech, Wilhelmsen, TTI Team-up for Maritime IoT

Semtech, Wilhelmsen and The Things Industries (TTI) have formed a partnership to use Semtech’s LoRa devices to help deliver what they describe as cost-effective, robust and proven IoT solutions to the maritime shipping industry.

Wilhelmsen is a global maritime industry group founded in 1861. Semtech Corporation is a  supplier of high performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms.

Wilhelmsen has selected Semtech’s LoRa devices as the foundation for its new global 2.4GHz maritime IoT network to deliver an ecosystem of cost-effective, robust and proven IoT solutions for its diverse global customer base at “land and sea.”

The global maritime shipping industry is expected to register a CAGR of 16.82% during the forecast period 2019-2024. With this expected market growth, Wilhelmsen is deploying the new LoRa-based connectivity in its own operations to improve efficiencies and will also offer its customers proven, connected IoT solutions. Wilhelmsen serves 20,000 vessels out of 2,200 ports in some 70 countries and handles more than 220,000 product deliveries per year.

“We have evaluated wireless solutions for decades to deliver efficiencies at land and sea. The technology solution of choice needed key capabilities to revolutionize our strategy – long range, low power and a strong, open ecosystem,” said Jon Helge Ulstein, Senior Project Manager at Wilhelmsen.

Ulstein added: “This new system is expected to benefit our customers immediately and is a step towards autonomous vessels and industry 4.0. Spearheaded by Wilhelmsen’s ship management division, this new IoT platform will be utilized to deliver, among other things, digital condition monitoring, asset tracking and logistical applications. This goes hand in hand with the group’s onboard app store project, ShipOS, headed by RaaLabs.”

Traditionally, sensor data on ships is carried through wired systems, or managed via periodic manual readings. However, LoRa-based wireless sensors can monitor many variables, including condition of machinery, fuel efficiency, environmental metrics, and cargo, and this data is used to conduct preventive maintenance.

An established tool in the onshore manufacturing sector, predictive maintenance decreases the risk of vessel idle time due to repair or incidents. In addition, the system can optimize the performance of processes, reducing manpower, waste, and cost.

Wilhelmsen chose TTI to develop its IoT platform which allows Wilhelmsen to tap into an existing global ecosystem of vendors and service providers, providing access to a marketplace of certified sensors, hardware designers, systems integrators, and application developers.