The need we address

As long as people have been able to move and travel, goods have been transported between different locations. In spite of the many technical innovations and advancements, the transport industry is still experiencing a lot of problems and challenges when striving to handle equipment and cargo efficiently. Examples of these are:

- Inefficient use of resources and equipment, e.g. loading units

- Lost and/or destroyed cargo

- High degree of manual handling in all processes

Transport companies usually have good control of what is inside each loading unit. A common problem - and the one we address - is related to the limited control of the loading unit itself, especially non-powered loading units such as containers and freight wagons. The difficulties in positioning and monitoring this type of assets have several implications, for example:

Productivity and efficiency: Low utilization degree of the fleet, long turnaround times and high level of empty returns. In average, European rail freight wagons are loaded and rolling only 12-15 % of the time and app. 70 % of loading units in cross-border traffic are returned empty to origin

Quality and service reliability: Problems to foresee and identify problems and deviations and thereby limited ability to act proactively. Unreliable service towards customers and thereby limited customer satisfaction

Safety and security risks: Lost cargo, increasing costs and accidents. Especially dangerous goods is in focus, regulations regarding producers' responsibility to control and monitor transports are hardening

One main reason for the limited control and visibility is the lack of high-quality and updated information about assets' locations and status. Many different actors are involved in the value-chains and the exchange of information throughout the chains is defective. The negative effects mentioned above can be reduced by intelligent use of wireless machine-to-machine (M2M) or telematics services.

Our mission is to provide information services which establish a direct link between the transport company and its fleet of assets. Maximized control brings both operational and commercial benefits. The solution we offer transport companies and shippers is delivered as a Managed Service. This means that we own, maintain and operate the entire technical solution and deliver information to our customers. We sell information services; we do not sell technology or network traffic.

Focus on your core business - we provide you the monitoring information

You just buy the services you really need. Our services are delivered at fixed prices without any variable or hidden costs – regardless of in which country your wagon or container is located. We agree upon service levels with you and possible disturbances are compensated for. Since you buy a pure service you do not have to use your investment budget for a technical solution of your own.

In our portfolio you will find what you need. You define what type of information you need, when you want it and how it should be delivered. By configuring and combining the services in our portfolio we can satisfy your needs.

A monitoring unit, mounted in/on your loading unit, makes observations of position and status. Just a moment later all information is available for you. You can access the information over the Internet via a graphical user interface (GUI) and/or via a data import function (SOAP API) for use in your own databases and systems. Everything is working the same way regardless of where the wagon, container or vehicle is located. 

Our additional services makes it possible for you to receive automatic alarms when an asset is standing still, automatically receive exact track-based mileage information and monitor assets also in potentially explosive atmospheres where ATEX certification is required.

Of course we also offer support and consultation. We have a proactive surveillance of the entire technical solution to ensure a smooth information flow to you. When implementing our services we can also take responsibility for installation and maintenance.

Benefits

Below is a summary of some of the benefits our customers experience when they make use of our services.

Our service model

The picture below summarizes our service delivery model. We own and maintain everything that is in blue in the picture. Telenor's extensive experience of hosting and maintaining platforms and state-of-the-art communication solutions ensures the best possible up-time of the services. We focus on the technology and you focus on your core business.

The entire solution is designed for the rail and intermodal freight environment, three examples:

- Hardware is compliant with railway directives e.g. regarding electromagnetic compatibility

- Detailed information on the freight rail network – station numbers, track descriptions etc.

- ATEX certification according to “Directive 94/9/EC”
 

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