IntelliTrans, Nexxiot Team on Railcar Monitoring
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
(Image Courtesy of IntelliTrans and Nexxiot)
IntelliTrans’s transportation management and visibility platforms will be integrated with Nexxiot’s asset monitoring technology to “help keep rail shipments running smoothly,” the companies reported July 18.
Under their new partnership, IntelliTrans will collect real-time data from the Nexxiot railcar sensors, allowing customers to gain visibility, reduce risk and improve safety, the companies said. Customers will be able to see that a hatch is open, that brakes are engaged during movement, or that a notable impact has occurred, for example.
IntelliTrans and Nexxiot described the process this way:
“Nexxiot provides IoT sensors that monitor freight railcars’ handbrakes, hatches and doors. The sensors connect wirelessly to the Nexxiot Globehopper (cellular) gateway, sending data to IntelliTrans for processing and analytics that enhance decision-making capabilities. Using Nexxiot Asset Intelligence technology, IntelliTrans clients mitigate uncertainty and risk, helping them to meet the growing demand for safer, high-quality rail freight. Nexxiot’s Scope AI extracts data from Nexxiot tracking devices and provides an interactive conversational interface to answer shipment status queries, such as ‘Which railcar doors were opened at midnight in Knoxville?’”
“[M]any of our clients will benefit from Nexxiot’s asset intelligence and insight, giving them visibility to where their freight is at all times,” said IntelliTrans President Ken Sherman, one of Railway Age readers’ most influential leaders for 2023. He explained that “by reading the sensors on brakes and hatches, we can see right away that something is happening, such as the railcar [is] moving while the brake is engaged which can damage the wheel, helping identify issues as they occur, greatly increasing the safety of the railcar. Or we can see if a hatch is open, which could lead to product quality becoming compromised or indicate that title transfer should occur from the shipper to the consignee. By knowing the hatch is open, we can better protect the car’s products, improving customer service and satisfaction.”
Added Stefan Kalmund, CEO of Nexxiot: “Our devices gather immediate insights into the status of rail assets so that shippers know what is happening within their rail freight network in real time. With the IntelliTrans knowledge base and data gathering capabilities, our sensors can do more than just track assets; they can mitigate risk, improve safety and keep customers happy.”
In related developments, Nexxiot on May 9 announced the release of Scope AI, an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled product designed to “facilitate contextualized decision-making,” and on April 4 reported a new multipurpose Vector sensor to monitor handbrakes, hatches and doors on freight railcars. Also, IntelliTrans announced Feb. 14 a partnership with AllTranstek to improve railcar maintenance tracking by integrating the company’s data into its Global Visibility Platform, allowing clients to “know which cars need maintenance, when and where to get it, minimizing downtime.” IntelliTrans in 2022 marked 30 years of service.
Further Reading on Telematics:
Real-Time Tracking: What Are We Waiting For?
TTX to Deploy Telematics Hardware on Railcars
