Start-up launches Bicycle Identification Number, handing lifecycle data to supply chain
A start-up business out of Poland has come up with a means to track and trace a bicycle’s mileage and end-to-end lifecycle in a way akin to the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), dubbing it a BIN (Bicycle Identification Number.)
Trebiada’s concept builds in a software that enables anybody to check a vehicle’s history for past claims and mileage. With bicycles not subject to a mandatory MOT and log keeping it’s a curious invention in consumer terms where the main benefits are deterring theft. The concept has greater ramifications for the supply chain, offering manufacturers, distributors and bike shops/workshops a tracked insight into the customer and supply history via over the air detailed data logs. These logs, says Trebiada, will help with everything from sales and payments insights to warranty claims.
Trebiada’s Daniel Kurpisz, the originator and one of the authors of the solution, explains. “Building on Technology 4.0 and the Internet of Things, we are creating a global solution for the bicycle industry to trace and record a bike’s history throughout its lifecycle. The BIN, or Bicycle Identification Number, sets the standard for the entire industry. With this unique code, our procedure will guarantee that bicycle information is uniform and structured, a solution which has so far been missing. It will allow manufacturers to obtain real time information about their products and users to check a bicycle’s history prior to a purchase. No less importantly, a worldwide database of stolen bikes will be created – available to all stakeholders: the police, authorities, used bike dealers and bike repair shops.”
For the manufacturer, the bicycle identification system is able to show real time stocks in stores, warranty claims, service books and a broad data picture of customer trends worldwide. Meanwhile, distributors will be better able to control pending or unpaid invoicing, plus see sales and repair insights. Finally, bike shops can own a real time repairs and claims log and put to use the insights for marketing and customer databasing.
This year the investment fund Human Alfa, managed by Paweł Błachno, joined the project. Along with Poland’s National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR), Bridge Alfa has invested PLN 1 million in the development of BIN and the RFID system – all as part of the Smart Growth Operational Programme 2014-2020. Following the successful completion of the first stage of development, sales have launched and global expansion has started.
“It’s the world’s first such comprehensive solution of its kind. Taking advantage of the potential of new technologies, it meets the bicycle sector’s well-identified need. As implementing BIN in manufacturing plants is free of charge, we are talking about very real benefits for businesses as well as cyclists. We believe that the solution will soon become a global standard”, says Paweł Błachno, President of the Jagiellonian Center of Innovation, President of the Management Board and CEO of Human Alfa Fund.
Similar software and hardware items exist to help the supply chain in tracking and tracing a bike and its history. Other products on the market include a dashboard-equipped product insight from Velco, as well as fleet management tools from OEM partner ready Paztir.
Related: Will ‘smart bike’ tech become a big industry opportunity?
