Where’s Santa now?

To ensure all children receive their Christmas presents on time, the logistics elves at Santa’s Workshop Inc. approached remote monitoring specialists Omniflex to monitor Santa’s journey around the globe and check the reliability of his sleigh in real-time.

For many years, Santa Claus has relied on manual methods, like basic map reading, to help him circumnavigate the world to deliver presents. Furthermore, Santa must carry out regular visual checks to ensure his sleigh doesn’t fall apart on his long journey. During his 2019 run, hundreds of thousands of children received their presents late, with families in the Scottish Highlands reporting his arrival as they were sitting down for Christmas dinner! Furthermore, manual methods were posing a safety risk for Santa, who almost crashed his reindeer into the Swiss Alps while reading his map.

“At times, it was chaos,” explained Santa Claus, founder and CEO of Santa’s Workshop Inc. “Children were receiving their packages late and my reindeer were getting fatigued from all the detours and sleigh check stops we were having to make. It’s not easy to assess the condition of your sleigh during blizzards – especially after all the sherry and mince pies!”

To streamline the process, Santa’s elves hatched a plan to integrate cloud-based remote monitoring onto the metal legs of the sleigh, so that GPS location and strain and pressure readings could be taken in real-time, 24/7. The data would be transmitted to radio Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) and monitored using the cloud-based data logging software, Data2Desktop. To provide the solution, they turned to Omniflex for help.

Remote monitoring of Santa’s sleigh provides several benefits. Firstly, cloud-based remote monitoring platforms provide a single, easy-to-access repository for all live and historical location data, allowing elves to track Santa’s journey and keep him on course. Secondly, all abnormal events can be reported directly via email or SMS to all relevant personnel without delay. For example, if the incorrect positioning of the presents in Santa’s sleigh causes excessive strain and pressure, Santa and his elves will immediately be notified. This ensures that the necessary repairs can be carried out before major damage is done.

What’s more, if Santa gets stuck in a chimney delaying his journey, the GPS monitoring will help the elves redirect him onto a faster route. Remote monitoring is also great for auditing purposes and will help Santa plan his journey better in future years.

“We’ve seen a huge difference in efficiency on Christmas Eve night since working with Omniflex,” explained Candice Kane, head elf at Santa’s workshop. “Through the IT elves monitoring his progress, Santa is kept on course and children across the world receive their presents on time.”