Case Study · DiAMS + Modern Data Management

Turning Containers and Coolers into Intelligent Data Nodes

How Delaplex is engineering an edge-first asset tracking platform from production plant to retail floor for a major beverage brand's distribution network.

The Challenge

Blind spots between plant, warehouse, and shelf.

Traditional logistics frameworks create massive informational blind spots between automated production plants, central distribution hubs, and thousands of retail endpoints, ranging from large-format modern trade stores down to independent neighborhood retailers. Containers and equipment go untracked, cold-chain products risk spoilage across unpredictable transit corridors, and retail floor equipment like fountain dispensers and coolers run without any visibility into performance or energy use.

Rural and highway network coverage gaps compound the problem, leaving long stretches of the distribution network completely dark to real-time visibility.

The Approach

An edge-first ecosystem, from dispatch gate to shop floor.

Delaplex proposed a ruggedized, micro-form-factor IoT device embedded directly into logistics containers, crates, and liquid barrels, with built-in eSIM connectivity and automatic satellite failover for the rural and highway coverage gaps that leave cellular-only trackers dark. The device stays dormant until it crosses a geofence boundary or senses a critical variance like a temperature spike, conserving power for a multi-year field life.

On the retail floor, the same architecture extends to fixed equipment: sensors on fountain dispensers and coolers feed consumption patterns, door-open frequency, and temperature recovery data back through the same edge network, turning static equipment into an active source of operational and consumer insight.

Architecture at a Glance

Three stages, one continuous data thread.

35%

Cloud Ingress & Storage Reduction

3

Integrated Lifecycle Stages

-4°C to 50°C+

Rated Operating Range

eSIM + Satellite

Automatic Failover Connectivity

From Plant to Shelf

A continuous chain of custody.

Stage 1: Outbound Automation

Digital identity, comprising batch ID, production timestamp, and formulation lineage, is written to each asset before it clears the plant gate, synced automatically with the client's ERP.

Stage 2: In-Transit Telemetry

Continuous location, temperature, and structural-shock monitoring across the distribution network, with satellite failover keeping assets visible through rural coverage gaps.

Stage 3: Retail & Distributor Drops

Geofence triggers on arrival automatically notify regional supply chain teams and update inventory allocation in real time.

On the Retail Floor

Fixed equipment becomes an active data source.

Edge nodes catch line blockages, gas pressure drops, or dispensing anomalies instantly, triggering automatic software resets or alerting a service crew before a customer ever experiences a degraded product or an outage. During off-peak hours, the same platform can transition cooling units into low-power conservation modes, cutting electricity costs for retail partners.

All of this runs on the same Kaptize edge middleware used elsewhere in Delaplex's DiAMS deployments, filtering and compressing telemetry locally before it ever reaches the cloud, which is the source of the platform's ~35% reduction in cloud ingress and storage costs.

Predictive Maintenance

Dispensing anomalies caught before they become customer-facing outages.

Energy Optimization

Automated low-power scheduling for coolers during off-peak hours.

Loss Prevention

Continuous container and equipment visibility closes the "dark asset" gap.

Shared-Risk Delivery

Delaplex absorbs proof-of-concept engineering costs, tying commercial terms to demonstrated ROI.

See DiAMS applied to your logistics and retail network.

Explore the full solution or talk to our team about a proof-of-concept for your distribution network.

Client identity anonymized at the client's request. Figures reflect Delaplex program documentation for a proposed logistics and retail asset-tracking deployment for a major beverage brand's distribution network.