You want to prevent damage during transport. Besides physical damage due to poor packaging, damage can also be caused by excessive fluctuations in temperature, humidity, shocks, CO2 or an abnormal oxygen level. But how do you get these parameters during transport to the sender and receiver in an easy and affordable way? How do you know if the temperature during the transport of for example medicines, flowers, vegetables, fruits, seeds, etc. stayed within the set bandwidths? PaperWise and Tapp.Online join forces and offer the solution with sensors in paper and packaging!
Smart paper
“Smart Paper” is how Niels Postma, founder of Tapp.online calls his invention. After several years of development, Tapp.online succeeded in equipping paper with sensors that measure temperature, humidity, shocks, inclination, oxygen level, CO2 or anything else during transport. Both sender and receiver can in a very simple way see the exact data during transport, anywhere in the world.
Simply by using your cell phone. Without special software, apps, cables, electricity, batteries or anything else, just by holding a smartphone with NFC reader near the chip in the PaperWise paper. But how does this save money? Here are two practical examples.
Understanding temperature variations increases yield per acre of arable land
Seeds are shipped by companies all over the world. For an optimal germination process, the seeds must remain within temperature ranges during transport. If temperatures deviate too much during transport, the seed will still look fine, but it will not germinate as well. The yield per hectare of the crop will be drastically reduced.
To prevent this damage, the various packages such as boxes, pallets and big bags can be provided with a PaperWise printed label equipped with Smart Paper temperature sensors. The sensor with built-in chip is inserted into the paper during printing of the labels or tags. Batteries are not required. The recipient only needs to hold his smartphone near the chip in the label. He or she will see directly on his or her screen the temperature graph and any additional information about the seeds, species, use and an image.
Smart paper increases drug safety
Logging data around temperature fluctuations and the ability to send along additional information about medicines during transport increases security for the pharmaceutical industry. Medicines are also shipped all over the world. To remote, dry and warm regions in Africa to humid and tropical areas around the equator. You can imagine that a pallet full of medicines in a remote village in Africa or in a sparsely populated area in the tropics raises many questions. What medicines are packed on this pallet? Which medicines are intended for what purpose? And were the medicines kept sufficiently cool and dry during transport and therefore still usable? Far from the civilized world where electricity, batteries and special software are not always readily available, PaperWise labels and sustainable packaging equipped with Smart Paper sensors offer the perfect solution. On the screen of the cell phone of the recipient of the goods, all information about the shipment, medicines, storage recommendations and temperature fluctuations are immediately visible. By simply holding the cell phone to the smart packaging with NFC chip.
How Paperwise works equipped with smart paper sensors
Measuring is knowing. Collecting data is an integral part of our society. The analysis of big data provides insights that can be used to save costs or improve quality and safety. Before Smart Paper was introduced to the market, the transport market used data loggers to measure environmental variables. However, these data loggers contained quite a few drawbacks for this application. Besides the high price you are stuck with electronics, cables, plugs and batteries. And where do you hide the datalogger? PaperWise equipped with Smart Paper sensors offers a solution for these problems.
Collecting data of environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, shock, CO2, or oxygen during transport becomes very easy. During the printing of the packaging or label, the Smart Paper sensor and chip are inserted into the paper. The inks become positively and negatively charged and act as a battery with a life of at least 6 months. The chip in the sensor measures the environment every 15 minutes, but this measurement can also be set for a shorter or longer period. The interval can be set entirely by the user.
The data of the environment variables are read out as soon as the receiver holds his smartphone near the NFC chip and sent to a safe and protected internet environment. The data is accessible through personalized cloud dashboards. The cloud environment also offers space for additional information, images, movies and photos. No hassle with USB cables, you only need a smartphone with NFC reader. Both the receiver and the sender, once the phone has read the chip, immediately have all the data, where with traditional data loggers it is difficult to get the data to the sending party as well.
The Smart Paper sensors of Tapp.online can be used in many sustainable packaging of PaperWise, custom made and with your own design. Own branding is thus possible unlike traditional data loggers. And PaperWise equipped with Smart Paper sensors is simply recyclable through the normal waste paper stream. The sensor, chip and inks have no negative impact on the paper recycling process, where traditional data loggers are associated with plastic, metal and sometimes even mercury. The inks leave the paper mill along with inks from other waste paper. The chip is a very small piece of metal that is disposed of along with staples and paper clips through the residual waste. And the PaperWise paper is reused for new paper. Choosing for PaperWise with Smart Paper sensors is choosing for a more sustainable and cost effective alternative compared to traditional data loggers.
What is the cost of Smart Paper?
The Internet environment where the data is stored and managed can be completely personalized and tailored to the identity of the sender or recipient. The data can also be analyzed in this environment. Of course the data can be exported to XML, Excel, CSV or pdf. An investment of € 5 to € 15 per package or label should be taken into account for a print run between 100 and 100,000 pieces.
Why do Tapp.online and PaperWise choose each other?
PaperWise wants to contribute positively to a better world and we are doing so with paper and cardboard made from agricultural waste. This innovation is positively changing the paper industry. Smart Paper makes environmental data logging simple, affordable, recyclable and accessible to a wide audience. Both PaperWise and Tapp.Online believe in each other’s innovation and believe they can offer the market the best solution by working together. If you want to measure and log environmental factors during your transport, choose PaperWise paper and environmentally friendly packaging equipped with Smart Paper sensors. Together we can make the world a better place.
