Carrier partners with Amazon on new Lynx digital platform
8th October 2020
USA: Carrier announced a multi-year agreement with Amazon Web Services to co-develop Carrier’s new Lynx digital platform.
The Lynx platform will combine AWS’s IoT, analytics, and machine learning services with Carrier’s refrigeration and monitoring solutions, extending Carrier’s current digital offerings for managing the temperature-controlled transport and storage of perishables.
It will provide Carrier customers around the world with enhanced visibility, increased connectivity, and actionable intelligence across their cold chain operations to improve outcomes for temperature-sensitive cargo, including food, medicine, and vaccines. The collaboration builds on Carrier’s selection of AWS as its preferred cloud services provider in February 2020.
Carrier claims that customers using the Lynx platform will benefit from end-to-end tracking, real-time alerts, automated processes, and predictive analytics to help them deliver temperature-controlled cargo more efficiently, in turn decreasing the cost of cold chain operations by optimising resource utilisation, cargo loss, and spoilage.
Using AWS’ IoT services to collect, integrate, organise, and analyse data from Carrier’s installed base of refrigeration equipment and monitoring solutions, along with sources such as traffic and weather reports, the Lynx platform will provide a comprehensive view of cargo location, temperature conditions, and external events that could impact cold chain operations.
This information will feed into a data lake built on Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) where Carrier can use AWS machine learning services to identify potential issues that could impact cargo, as well as run sophisticated analytics to develop recommendations for improving outcomes. As an example, by analysing historic and real-time performance data from Carrier’s cloud-connected equipment, the Lynx platform could suggest proactive maintenance to maximise a specific piece of equipment’s availability.
Looking ahead, Carrier and AWS plan to introduce a capability for the Lynx platform to provide recommendations related to cargo routing and improved fleet utilisation, adding greater resilience into the cold chain that will help Carrier’s customers to manage costs, schedules, and resources.
“Carrier is committed to delivering a healthier, safer, and more sustainable cold chain. Through this collaboration with AWS, we are developing a uniquely powerful ecosystem to give our customers greater flexibility, visibility, and intelligence across the cold chain,” said Carrier Refrigeration president David Appel. “The Lynx platform will help our customers make faster, data-driven decisions to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of their supply chains. This digital solution will enhance connectivity across the cold chain, decreasing delays for cargo that is critical to global health and well-being, while reducing cargo damage, loss, and unanticipated costs.”
