Case Studies Pacer Air

CASE STUDIES

Pacer Air deploys SENTRY FlightSafe® to monitor a host of environmental details – including the security of the cargo

Overview

In October 2018, Canada legalized cannabis for recreational use and implemented stringent guidelines for shipping products and plants. Pacer Air, an Ontario-based shipper specializing in high-value, time-sensitive shipments, quickly recognized an opportunity to grow its business in this burgeoning market by elevating its customer-centric approach with deeper and richer insights on the location and condition of high-value, time-sensitive shipments.

Challenge

With a 30-year history in shipping, Pacer has used a variety of technologies to track assets. But, given the stringent and evolving requirements for cannabis shipping, and the high value of shipments, it sought out a more robust solution.

Pacer wanted clear, reliable, and detailed insights on more than the whereabouts of the shipment. It wanted to be able to monitor a shipments’ temperature, for perishable/consumable cannabis products, as well as light, tilt and shock for live plants.

Given the value of these shipments, and the potential for theft, loss, or damage, customers considered deploying armed guards to accompany their cannabis products. This would have been costly and inefficient. Pacer was able to offer its customers a better solution.

Solution

After a quick search, all signs pointed to OnAsset Intelligence’s SENTRY FlightSafe® technology for providing the timely location and condition monitoring Pacer wanted to be able to deliver to its customers. While there are a variety of tools that provide GPS monitoring, OnAsset was uniquely able to monitor a host of environmental details – including temperature, humidity, pressure, light, shot, motion and tilt – and deliver accurate insights in its easy-to-tailor and -view INSIGHT™ Platform.

OnAsset is also approved for use by more airlines than any other asset monitoring technology provider which was key to getting Pacer up and running with new cannabis-industry customers.

“We had used plenty of other devices in our 30 years in business but didn’t have anything in our arsenal that did it all, like OnAsset’s solutions do.”

–Carolina Chanis, Marketing

Results

Bringing the OnAsset solution into new customer engagements has given Pacer a competitive advantage and given their customers’ confidence that their products will arrive to the intended destination, on time and in the right condition. In the year-and-a-half that Pacer has been using OnAsset’s SENTRY FlightSafe®, it has grown its cannabis customer base from zero to 30, based largely on its ability to closely monitor and track shipments to ensure successful delivery.

In addition to peace of mind, customers have saved a lot of money. Shipments were occasionally being delayed in a state-mandated holding area. With the insights provided by OnAsset, Pacer has proof of when the product arrived and who was responsible for delays. OnAsset insights help Pacer see to the products’ expeditious release before delay fees are assessed. Temperature readings have also provided insights to improve packaging and shipping of these delicate products in a relatively new space.

“The online portal, ease of integration, excellent customer service, and the fact that OnAsset is recognized and approved by all of our key airlines is what made it an easy decision to adopt.”

–Myron Pelly, Sales & Operations

Going forward

While Pacer initially engaged OnAsset as it moved into the cannabis shipping space, it now uses OnAsset to monitor medical shipments, including live organs, radiopharmaceuticals, and other life-saving cancer treatments. It is doubling its fleet of SENTRY FlightSafe in the coming year and adding the next generation SENTRY FlightSafe®, model 600 to the mix of products it uses.

Pacer prides itself on excellent customer service and is always striving to improve and add value for its customers. OnAsset has helped Pacer provide that next level of service and value to its customers, cultivating trust and long-lasting relationships.

“This technology is so valuable we aspire to get to a place where 100% of our customers’ shipments use live tracking from OnAsset.”

–Myron Pelly, Sales & Operations