"We are dealing with live data that our customers can view on a platform," continues Anne Sophie. The technique itself is not complicated. The entire reefer fleet, 270,000 containers, of the Danish shipping company is equipped with the tracking system. The device registers, among other things, the temperature, humidity and oxygen content in the container. Maersk ships are equipped with a satellite connection, via which the data is uploaded every half hour. If the container is on land, the system uses the GSM network.Live data
"A lot has been written about it over the past few years, as this is obviously not something we started yesterday." The system was first tested internally to learn how the data could be used to improve the business processes. "We think that data quality is now good enough to open up the platform to our customers." The data can be viewed through an online platform, where different analyses can be carried out.
For the reefer containers that are not shipped on any of Maersk's ships, but for example on one of another member of the 2M alliance; "for example, in a container on a MSC ship or on a feeder, the data is stored on the modem of the container. If it connects to a network on a terminal or on a Maersk ship, the data is updated, so the customer will still have the full insight."
RMC prevents errors
The learning process to use the data well was perhaps a bigger project than the investment to equip the reefers with the RCM. "Manual failure, for example a temperature control error, has been the biggest learning process. We are now able to check that the container is properly set up," explains Anne Sophie. The system made it possible to detect 4,500 errors this year. "That seems like a lot, but unfortunately, these things happen. If you have a small percent of errors on the around 1 million containers we ship each year, it becomes a big deal. For us, it was important to detect our mistakes and provide our customers with a better product."
By giving its customers access to the data, the shipping company hopes that those customers will be able to improve their business processes. "We are working with a number of banana companies, for example," says Anne Sophie. A small exporter in Ecuador, which ships two containers a week, is interested in the bananas being shipped in the right conditions. A multinational firm that ships 900 containers a week also wants to know what's going wrong. The containers collect a wealth of information. If a deviation is detected, the RCM sends an alarm to Maersk or the customer. This allows for immediate intervention. "Those traders can now see if something is wrong with the reefer or the atmosphere conditions in the container. The containers can be taken apart immediately." The importer can also decide to buy more product. That's what we are hoping: that our customers will be able to optimise their business."
More information:
Maersk Line
Anne Sophie Zerlang Karlsen
Esplanaden 50
1098 Copenhagen K
Denmark
+45 3363 3363
Anne.Sophie.Zerlang.Karlsen@maersk.com
www.maersk.com