By Paul Lane
•
March 27, 2025
Over the past decade, the automotive industry has been looking for improved end-to-end transparency across the supply chain. Take BMW AG for instance. In 2025, their Chairman of the Board of Management, Oliver Zipse, s aid in a statement: “We have learned in recent years how vulnerable and susceptible to disruption they can be. Take a guess: How many parts do you think our plants worldwide need to be supplied with every day? The answer is: 36 million. The right quantities have to be in the right place, at the right time, in the best quality.” These 36 million parts are placed in boxes which travel around the world, often getting lost, misused or insufficiently managed along the way. Plus, for this number of parts, there is a need for thousands or, sometimes, millions of containers. As the demand to take parts monitoring even more seriously increases, a comprehensive solution is required by businesses across all sectors. The market has become increasingly aware of the importance of identifying blind spots and understanding inefficiencies, with businesses using this knowledge to optimize their supply chains and improve their results. Whether it’s for suppliers monitoring their products or manufacturers tracking inbound equipment, comprehensive, near real-time visibility across their operations is invaluable in getting to the bottom of these issues and finding a solution. Industry data found that 45% of automotive manufacturers expressed concerns about the lack of transparency in inbound supply chains. Active GPS tracking of the reusable packaging used within the industry allows automotive businesses to receive quick and precise data on the location, condition and status of automotive equipment and parts, allowing for loss reduction, improved inventory management and complete regulatory compliance. Keep reading for a detailed look at the benefits of asset tracking for automotive assets.