Industry
Automotive Manufacturing and Supply Chain
Challenge: Lost Pallets, Lost Time
A leading U.S.-based automotive parts manufacturer—who has requested anonymity—faced an escalating logistics problem. Their business model involves shipping raw materials on steel pallets from the United States to manufacturing plants in Mexico. Once processed, these parts are then sent to various automotive assembly plants throughout Mexico.
Unfortunately, the return loop broke down at the final step. Despite clear procedures, steel pallets were routinely not returned by the receiving plants. They would go missing in the system—scattered across facilities—and were difficult to locate or recover in a timely manner.
More Than Just Equipment Loss
The issue was not primarily the cost of the steel pallets, but the time spent trying to track them down. Logistics and operations staff had to manually call and email plants to locate missing pallets—losing countless hours and risking operational delays.
Solution: Smart, Scalable Tracking with Automation
LoneStar Tracking delivered a solution that was both highly effective and economically viable.
Technology That Fits the Problem
We equipped the steel pallets with the Barra Core GPS tracker, a compact and cost-effective device that uses WiFi positioning and cellular tower triangulation—rather than GPS satellites—to determine location.
This choice gave the customer exactly what they needed:
- Warehouse-Level Location Accuracy – Precise enough to identify which assembly plant a pallet was at, without the cost of full GPS.
- Affordable Hardware – Devices were comparable in price to consumer Bluetooth tags, like an AirTag, making full-fleet deployment feasible.
- Automatic Daily Reporting – A customized email report sent every morning lists all tracked pallets, flags any that are missing, and shows their last known locations.
This fully automated system turned a time-intensive manual task into a zero-effort, proactive alert.
Global Connectivity & Network Redundancy
Beyond location intelligence, the solution was underpinned by robust cellular connectivity, ensuring that data was always flowing—even in challenging environments:
- 🌐 Global Network Access: Our devices are backed by a network of strategic cellular partnerships across the globe, allowing them to operate not just in the U.S. and Mexico, but in virtually any country where the customer may expand.
- 📡 Auto Tower Switching: If a nearby cell tower experiences downtime or interference, the device seamlessly switches to another tower in the area—ensuring no loss in tracking continuity or communication reliability.
This reliability makes the solution viable even in areas with less predictable infrastructure—ideal for cross-border, high-volume logistics operations.
Results: Time Saved, Visibility Restored
Substantial Time Savings: Logistics teams no longer waste hours chasing pallets.
Improved Inventory Control: Full visibility into where every pallet is—updated daily.
Cost-Effective Deployment: Affordable enough to scale across the customer’s entire logistics flow.
Global-Ready: Confidence that devices will work across borders and in future expansions.
Always On: Resilient network redundancy ensures real-time reporting, 24/7.
Final Thoughts
This case study highlights how LoneStar Tracking goes beyond just hardware—we deliver intelligent, globally-connected asset tracking systems that save time, reduce risk, and improve operations. Whether your business is local, international, or somewhere in between, we have the technology, partnerships, and automation to make asset visibility a reality.
Let’s solve your logistics challenges.
Want to see how it could work for your team? Get in touch today or give us a call at 1-877-777-8636