Tageos and its partners have unveiled an NFC-powered solution that promises to transform how the transport and logistics industry handles trailer axle identification and maintenance. The new system replaces the frustrating ritual of crawling under vehicles with a simple tap of a smartphone.
The project brings together SAF-HOLLAND SE, a major trailer axle manufacturer, alongside Tageos, identytag GmbH and Winckel GmbH. Together they have embedded NFC technology directly into the hub caps of trailer axles, creating a durable link between physical components and their digital records.
At the heart of the solution is the Tageos EOS-920 NTAG213 inlay, a compact 20mm NFC tag with 144 bytes of user memory. The chip sits inside a specially designed label that is fixed to each axle hub cap, where it can survive the rough conditions of road transport and still deliver reliable reads when scanned.
Workshop technicians interact with the tags through SH-Connect, a dedicated app that opens up a full suite of services the moment a tag is scanned. From one interface, mechanics can order spare parts, pull up technical documentation, find the nearest authorised workshop and access training materials. The result is a faster, cleaner workflow that keeps trailers moving rather than stuck waiting for paperwork.
Before this rollout, technicians were often forced to hunt for QR codes tucked away in awkward spots beneath vehicles or inside inspection pits. Dirt, grease and damaged labels turned what should be a routine check into a time sink, and misreads led to ordering errors and avoidable downtime. NFC sidesteps these issues entirely because it does not rely on line of sight or a clean surface.
Felix Passia, Head of Sales at identytag, said the partnership “embodies the power of the RFID ecosystem” and creates “systems that don’t just track corporate assets: they generate valuable product information and intelligence.” His comment captures a broader shift in the industry, where tagged components are becoming active sources of operational data rather than passive identifiers.
The benefits stack up quickly. Fleet operators get unambiguous identification of every axle, immediate access to up to date product information, faster service turnarounds and lower spare parts errors. Because the tags can be retrofitted to existing axles and scanned with standard smartphones, there is no need for specialised readers or expensive new hardware. The move to NFC also cuts down on printed documentation, delivering a modest but welcome environmental win.
For Tageos, headquartered in Montpellier, France, the project reinforces its position in industrial NFC applications where durability and data density matter. For SAF-HOLLAND, it offers a clear differentiator in a competitive market and a practical answer to customer demand for smarter, connected components.
As trailers become more connected, expect the humble hub cap to keep doing more than its share of the work. NFC at the point of service is a small change with a surprisingly large ripple effect across the logistics chain.
Read more at https://www.tageos.com/en/why-tageos/news/news-details/smart-axles-revolutionize-trailer-maintenance.html