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“Our brand-new CLT20-Ex monitors a tank container’s geographical location, its motion (shock and normal movement) and the temperature of the device,” Drenth explains. “The CLT20-Ex is solar powered, enabling unlimited data transfer and long-lasting operational reliability on tank containers, wagons and other assets that do not have their own power source.”
IN THE FUTURE, it will be possible to track a tank container every inch of its journey from the load point to the receiver, and to receive
That future is not so far away. Intermodal Telematics (IMT) has been working on the next iteration of its telematics solutions and
POWER UP It is that lack of an onboard power source that has been an issue for tank containers – and rail wagons and other unpowered transport assets. Without external power, telematics units and their associated communications systems and sensors need to rely on batteries. As a consequence, it has been difficult to produce systems that can provide real-time information: in order to conserve power, these units often communicate in discrete parcels of information transmitted every few hours. IMT’s solution is to use solar panels, generating power that is held in a longlasting battery unit. This allows them to send information every five minutes, ensuring that tank operators and others in the supply chain are informed as soon as there is an anomaly in the transport or the cargo, and that receivers are kept up to date on the position of their consignment and its likely time of arrival. When solar power is unavailable – if the tank is stacked in a yard, say, or stowed under deck on a ship – the battery has enough power to last for two to three months, easily enough to cover an international sea voyage. To ensure connectivity wherever the tank is in the world, the CLT20-Ex is fitted with two modems, a Pentaband 2G/3G unit and a 4G/5G LTE-M, CAT M1 and NB-IoT
real-time information not just about its location but about the status of its load: its temperature, pressure, filling level, movement and more. Not only will it be possible but it will be affordable – and customers are going to expect to have that visibility all the way through the supply chain.
has recently introduced a solar-powered communication and location terminal, CLT20-Ex. “With the CLT20-Ex, IMT brings unlimited wireless data transfer to tank telematics, allowing for optimal accuracy,” says Dethmer Drenth, IMT’s founder and managing director (above).
modem. “We really present a distinctive solution,” Drenth says. “No other telematics provider offers this multi-modem capability.” And, of course, the CLT20-Ex has ATEX IIC and IECEx certification, making it suitable for use with both dangerous and nondangerous goods.
ALL OVER THE WORLD TANK CONTAINERS • IMT’S LATEST HARDWARE LAUNCH TAKES TANK TELEMATICS ONTO A NEW LEVEL BUT, AS DETHMER DRENTH EXPLAINS, THERE IS PLENTY MORE TO COME
HCB MONTHLY | JULY 2020
