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DIGITISATION 09
SHARING IS CARING
Nexxiot, a specialist in the digitisation of supply chains, became a full member of the International Tank Container Organisation (ITCO) in October 2019 and is aiming to help instigate industry-wide standardisation for digitised solutions. Since joining ITCO, Nexxiot has launched working groups aimed at collaborating closely with tank container operators to radically improve the industry. Furthermore, Nexxiot announced it will be responsible for the digitisation of roughly 9,000 tank
participants who would be interested in joining this work group to create these standards. We were previously a member of this kind of group in the rail sector where it also started to develop a focus on standardisation. We made good results in this work group and agreed on different standards that we believed would not only be important for the rail sector, but also for the tank container sector.” JOIN THE CLUB There is no doubt that the rapid progress being
“ITCO is the most important group for the tank container business and we are very specialised in this segment,” says Thiemann. “We think that we could both benefit through cooperation, which is why we asked for membership. I see our role as a support for the tank container industry - to support them with the opportunities available with different kinds of digitisation and what kind of possibilities are available with the data being generated.” Thiemann continues: “Digitisation is not only industry’s current buzz-word, but it will also be the basis for business in the future. For this, we have launched a working group inside ITCO for standardisation. When we spoke to our customers, it was clear there was confusion surrounding what device or what kind of system would be the best for them. We often got requests concerning different devices, sensors and platforms and, since we believe that an open system could be
containers in long-time collaborator VTG’s tank fleet. “It was our idea to start such a working group,” says Tim Thiemann, segment head tank containers at Nexxiot. “It happened during the recent ITCO event [in Amsterdam in October 2019] and we asked the other
made with digital solutions has been incredible. It has flooded the industry and has become the driving force of future developments, yet selecting the correct product can often be technical and confusing, which is why Nexxiot aims to work with ITCO members to home in on what users desire and require.
a big benefit for all and we want to avoid developing an ‘Apple’ world [where one system is incompatible with the others], we launched this work group together with other companies, operators and lessors in ITCO – to go forward with standardisation in this special topic.”
TRANSPARENCY • STANDARDISATION IN THE DIGITAL SUPPLY CHAIN IS ONE OF THE MOST PRESSING MATTERS, ACCORDING TO NEXXIOT. EFFORTS ARE NOW UNDER WAY TO FIND A SOLUTION
HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2020
SEEING CLEARLY Thiemann believes that the biggest change in recent years – thanks to the growth of digitisation and inter-operator communication – has been transparency between businesses. This has opened the doors to a seismic shift in the way business is conducted and has changed how potential collaborators view working with each other. “Regarding transparency, in the last couple of years the data sharing methods between different companies have changed. Everyone wanted to keep their data secret, but there has been a change of mind across the whole industry to fulfil the goals of sustainability. Better cooperation has to be the target for the next few years and transparency is very important to this. It won’t be 100 per cent transparent, but it will be much more than what has been available the last few years.” However, there are some issues that need addressing. Most notable is the problem of
agreeing on standardisation between different digital solution providers. It is great to have the ability to monitor a dozen different factors of a shipment through the use of sensors and predictive technologies, but if the different solutions are not able to communicate with each other through a common language and practical platform, it will not be utilised by potential users. Thiemann explains: “I think the biggest hurdle will be to find a common ground in standardisation, not only within members of ITCO, but with other digitisation companies also.” In-depth discussions with Container Owners Association (COA), where Nexxiot is also working on standardisation, to form a universal system of standards for hazardous and non-hazardous goods are currently underway and the results of the working group are due to be released in the next few weeks. www.nexxiot.com
NEXXIOT’S TIM THIEMANN SAYS INCREASED TRANSPARENCY BETWEEN BUSINESSES IS CHANGING HOW THEY WORK TOGETHER
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