From Blind Spots to Full Visibility: How Aucxis and Alesea Are Transforming Drum Traceability
Cable drums are essential assets in the cable industry, yet they are often overlooked. Every year, thousands of drums circulate between factories, warehouses, and customer sites. Many of them are misplaced, left in the field, or scrapped too early. The result: unnecessary costs, operational inefficiencies, and avoidable environmental impact.
At Prysmian’s Emmen facility, this challenge is now being addressed with a combination of RFID gate technology from Aucxis and TraxiumLite tracking solutions from Alesea. The impact is already tangible. Internal analyses indicate that full implementation could reduce material losses by up to 90%, and shorten drum return cycles by 25%. This translates into potential savings of up to €1.5 million in drum purchases, driven simply by better visibility and reuse.
Reflecting on the impact of the solution, Joannes Vonk, Business Manager Power Distribution and Network Components at Prysmian, says:
“The combination of Aucxis RFID gates and Alesea TraxiumLite has fundamentally improved our visibility on drum movements. What used to be a blind spot is now a controlled process, enabling us to significantly reduce losses and optimize reuse.”
From blind spots to structured visibility
To close the traceability gap, Aucxis installed RFID gates at key entry and exit points in the Emmen plant. These gates automatically detect cable drums as they move through the facility, providing real-time visibility without manual intervention.
The solution combines Aucxis RFID gates with Alesea's TraxiumLite tags to deliver seamless traceability. Each TraxiumLite tag gives a cable drum a permanent digital identity using passive RFID and NFC technology, without requiring a battery. As tagged drums move through the facility, the RFID gates automatically record their movements, while operators can use an NFC-enabled smartphone to identify a drum, update its status, or access information when needed.
This combination provides reliable tracking at critical logistics checkpoints and keeps drums traceable throughout the factory and key handling processes, without disrupting existing workflows or adding operational complexity.
One platform, complete lifecycle management
All tracking data is integrated into the Alesea platform, available in both live and standard versions. Through a single web portal, users gain access to dashboards, maps, analytics, and custom KPIs.
This enables structured management across the entire drum lifecycle, including entry into the factory, warehouse storage, delivery to customers, and return and reuse.
By connecting each stage, the system allows companies to act proactively, for example, by identifying idle drums in the field and triggering their return.
Operational and environmental impact
Extending traceability to smaller drums significantly improves control across the supply chain. Inventory becomes more accurate, warehouse space is used more efficiently, and missing assets can be identified and recovered faster.
At Prysmian Emmen, more than 2,300 drums have already been tagged, contributing to a growing network of connected assets. Globally, Alesea supports more than 140,000 connected materials.
Beyond operational gains, the environmental benefits are equally significant. Every drum that is recovered and reused eliminates the need to manufacture or purchase a replacement. As drum lifecycles are extended, raw material consumption decreases, transport movements are reduced and the overall carbon footprint lowers.
A practical step toward smarter asset management
With Aucxis RFID gates and Alesea TraxiumLite, cable drums are no longer operational blind spots. Instead, they become traceable assets within a connected digital ecosystem-supporting efficiency, cost control, and sustainability in a practical and scalable way.
Website Alesea: Smart Digital Solutions for Cable Drum Management | Alesea
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