Plug and play
Back in February delegates at WMX Americas in Miami heard from a panel of remarkable start-ups who provided a 10-minute pitch on their products that they have developed to overcome current industry challenges. A panel of industry-leading judges went on to decide on a winner.
Post & Parcel speaks to Aron Shteierman, Chief Executive Officer, Mole IOT, and winner of the start-up pitch, who aims to help operators to increase productivity and maximise their payloads with his inexpensive device.
Can you tell me about the device that you have come up with?
It’s a battery–operated device which is a little bit smaller than an iPhone and it has multiple different capabilities. For example it can provide fill level, it can provide temperature readings and it can provide angle changes. But it isn’t limited to that – it can provide a variety of different data points depending on what you need.
How can your device help postal operators?
In the US, there are mailboxes on the corner of every street which receive traditional envelope mail from USPS as well as packages from companies like UPS and FedEx.
At the moment postal operators are required by law to empty the mailboxes every single day. And the operators have no visibility if there’s a package inside or not.
Our sensors have the ability to remotely let the companies know if there’s a package inside. This will reduce the number of unproductive stops and avoid workers going somewhere for no reason.
Another way it can help the sector is it can be used to monitor the fullness level inside a delivery vehicle. So trailers that go between facilities, often travel half empty or a quarter empty. Our device lets the company know how full it is, so they can fill their vehicles to capacity and maximise the payloads.
Where did the idea come from?
It started back in about 2017 when we developed a proof-of-concept model
for a completely different application – working for a company in the waste industry trying to understand the fullness level inside their containers. The idea evolved from there and we started retrofitting the device to work for different sectors. For example it is being trialled for ULD containers which go under aircraft, to help operators monitor the filter level inside of it and also the position of the filter.
How does the device work?
The device is battery-operated and can be attached onto anything. It works with magnets and can be easily installed. It works with IoT, 3G, 4G, Bluetooth and Wi Fi. It also has geofencing capabilities for asset tracking. So for example if a trailer leaves a certain facility, we will know that the second leaves the area, it takes a reading. The battery can last anywhere between five and 10 years, depending on how frequently you extract the data.
Is it an expensive device?
No, it costs about $10 a month on a subscription-based model. The sole purpose is it for it to be a low cost, affordable device. No big investment is needed.
So why did you come to WMX Americas?
I came to participate in the start-up pitch and to meet with leaders in the parcel sector from around the world in order to explore our device and its applications. We are now running trials with some of the major operators in the US.
What’s next for your company?
So we’re in a growth phase right now. We have so many different applications that we are exploring and we are rolling out devices every single day. So it’s been a very exciting journey for us. And we’re very proud of our accomplishments.
How would you pitch your product to the industry?
Our solution is easy, just plug and play. And there’s an instant ROI in a business case for it as no large investment is required. We’d love to collaborate and innovate with every leader in the sector.
Mole IoT have been shortlisted for startup of the year category for the World Post & Parcel Awards in 2024.
