Business process improvement directly correlates to improved resource utilization.

In this second post of the series we are going to look at how Waste Management industry is leveraging (or can leverage) Internet of Things (IoT) to improve their business processes. These improvements can increase efficiency and resource utilization and reduce air/noise pollution.

Waste Management – Garbage Collection Process

The example we are going to look at in this article is of garbage collection process. Recently cities like Barcelona have moved from the traditional process where a garbage truck would have to make a scheduled route and pick up garbage cans regardless of them being full or empty.

Here is an overview of the new garbage collection business process. This does not include all the steps, only main activities have been included to keep it simple.

• Set Threshold (garbage cans have embedded systems to communicate)
• Garbage Can Transmits Analytics
• Receive Analytics
• Evaluate Data (check if threshold has exceeded or not?)
• Calculate Smarter Route & Schedule Garbage Pickup

By leveraging IoT data the waste management companies are reaping (can reap) multiple benefits such as:

This process resulted in poor utilization of the garbage trucks, higher fuel costs and of course causing air and noise pollution.

• Improved resource utilization – Using IoT, companies would know which garbage cans have exceeded the thresholds and need to be picked up. This data could be used to calculate smarter routes resulting in a reduced number of routes as compared to sending garbage trucks to all pre-defined routes.
• Lower costs – Smarter routes will also help in lower fuel and maintenance costs of the garbage trucks.
• Lower pollution – Another great advantage would be the reduction in air and noise pollution.

In conclusion, organizations should start thinking about IoT and how it can exponentially improve their efficiency and customer’s experience.

This article was originally published on ProcessRamblings.com.

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