Nexxiot improves rail visibility

CLEAN THE WHEELS

RAIL • BETTER ASSET UTILISATION MEANS BETTER SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE. NEXXIOT IS HELPING POLISH RAIL OPERATOR TRANSCHEM DELIVER THAT TO ITS CUSTOMERS

POLAND-BASED RAIL OPERATOR Transchem has linked up with Nexxiot to digitise its wagon fleet with the aim of improving sustainability and control of the goods it carries. Nexxiot’s systems will help Transchem gather and analyse the data it needs to make better decisions over asset deployment, helping it reduce emissions in the transport of liquid chemicals and energy products.

“We noticed some of our partners were not as focused on the sustainability and emissions topic as we are,” says Rafał Cisek, director for international cooperation at Transchem. “We want to ensure we can say with confidence that we have done all we can to reduce unnecessary emissions and maximise the quality of the goods we transport. Our customers depend on us to do this for them.”

Transchem initially looked into buying the technology it needed and putting it together itself, but this was unfeasible. Cisek chose Nexxiot as a technology partner because it has an integrated approach on the technology and a reputation as market leader and innovator.

Nexxiot provided an integrated solution with sensors, gateway devices, device and data management and all the analytics and reporting that are required to extract profit. With its innovative technology the company can track, find and protect cargo through intelligent alarms across the globe with an extremely accurate, below 1-metre precision.

“This now allows us to make assessments in real time on deployment of heating solutions and decide how much time is required to manage loading and unloading schedules,” Cisek says. “This means we save on shunting by managing the moves better, we provide better quality for customers and we get better visibility on partner services to ensure we reach our own sustainability goals.”

MAKE IT SUSTAINABLE Many of the products Transchem moves in its 1,000-strong rail car fleet are temperaturesensitive and some, such as tar and bitumen, require heating to enable them to be unloaded. “A lot of the time we feel like our partners overheat the product to be on the ‘safe’ side but this results in excess costs and wasted heat energy which leads to soaring emissions,” says Cisek. Nexxiot’s solution brings transparency to the process, reducing the need for such over-heating.

Other products Transchem transports are caustic or flammable, which means that the monitoring hardware fitted to the tanks needs to be intrinsically safe, something with which the Nexxiot kit also complies.

The partnership between Transchem and Nexxiot also illustrates that digitisation is not just about getting greater visibility in the transport chain, it is also fundamental to improving sustainability in transport. Monika Ferenz, Nexxiot’s managing director in Poland, explains: “This is in line with our motivations to address the current global megatrend of improved sustainability and supply chain transparency. Our clients want to assess the environmental behaviour of partners and supply chain participants to get a single view of their actual energy utilisation and performance. The deployment of the technology opens the path to multiple wins in social, environmental and business value.”

For its part, Transchem has a focus on innovative solutions and best-in-class services and, as such, has found that the issue of sustainability has risen to the top of the corporate agendas of its customers. “Our customers naturally have high expectations,” says Cisek. “They see us as their quality service provider of choice and this step to digitise the rail fleet is in keeping with their requirements.” www.nexxiot.com www.transchem.com.pl

LINKING WITH NEXXIOT WILL ALLOW TRANSCHEM

TO IMPROVE ITS OPERATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY