As supply chains grow more complex and less centralized, traditional approaches to tracking and visibility are beginning to show their limits. Fixed infrastructure — once the backbone of asset tracking within factories and warehouses — is struggling to keep pace with today’s distributed, fast-changing logistics networks. Companies now need visibility that extends beyond controlled environments and adapts to shifting workflows, temporary facilities, and increasingly dynamic supplier ecosystems. That evolution is forcing engineers to rethink not just where data is collected, but how and by whom.
In this conversation, Mike Santora, managing editor of Design World, speaks with Simon Ford, founder and CEO of Blecon, about how Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology is enabling a more flexible, scalable model for tracking and data collection. Rather than relying solely on fixed readers and costly infrastructure deployments, Blecon’s approach leverages mobile devices already in the hands of frontline workers — transforming them into dynamic nodes in a broader data network. This shift not only reduces cost and complexity, but also lowers the barrier to adoption, allowing companies to experiment, iterate, and scale more quickly.
Ford also explores a deeper architectural shift underway in industrial systems: the migration of intelligence away from centralized platforms and into edge devices themselves. With today’s low-cost sensors and BLE-enabled tags functioning as powerful microcomputers, engineers can design systems that are more autonomous, resilient, and responsive. The result is a new kind of visibility — one that captures richer data across the entire operation without disrupting existing workflows—opening the door to more informed decision-making and continuous operational improvement. See the full interview below.