16 BULKDISTRIBUTOR
Track & Trace
September/October 2016
Shell selects satellite asset solution
G
lobal oil giant Shell has deployed a satellite-based asset
management solution in the Netherlands to securely
manage its movable assets on land and at sea. By more closely
and efficiently managing its high value assets and their
associated test certification, Shell has achieved a positive
return on investment on the solution in just three months.
The Alltrack track and trace solution, provided by Globalstar’s
Dutch-based reseller Improvement-IT, incorporates QR codes,
Globalstar’s SmartOne satellite asset managers and a cloud-based
content management system. Alltrack has been integrated with
Shell’s internal mapping software utility to make it easy to precisely
locate assets, while geo-fencing confirms that items are in the right
place. The solution ensures that equipment test certificates are valid,
eliminating paperwork while speeding up supply chain operations.
To date, Shell has deployed 250 SmartOne devices attached to high
value assets including pumps, tools, power supplies and generators,
on land, in containers, in transit or offshore. With terrestrial mobile
communications networks being unreliable or non-existent in these
locations, satellite was the only strong communications option.
Improvement-IT chose to use Globalstar’s SmartOne simplex asset
manager for communications because of its reliability, long battery life
and ability to switch between battery and line-powered. SmartOne uses
motion sensors, comparative GPS positions and sensors to gather and
transmit asset status information over Globalstar’s satellite network.
Designed to be accessible for non-technical staff, Alltrack need just
15 minutes of training. There are currently around 100 users at Shell.
Shell started by using 2D QR style codes to track down hole drilling
tools for oil and gas platforms as they went into and out of its
warehouses. Then, in 2015, it extended this facility to tracking assets
being put into containers for transport or storage, and tracking them
by GPS, communicating the containers’ status back to headquarters.
“Shell has very challenging asset management requirements as its
equipment is used down wells and in environments with high pressure
and temperature,” said Daan te Nuijl, Managing Director at
Improvement-IT. “The deployment has gone smoothly and immediately
started delivering benefits to Shell by cutting the time and cost involved
in finding assets and ensuring the correct certifications were in place.”
Albert Bos, Team Leader, Well Services Workshop at Shell, said: “When
a container arrives at the warehouse, security officers now already know
what’s inside and the test certificates are automatically validated, saving
significant time. We can also easily see which of our rented assets are
being underutilised and so we can return them and cut costs.”
Shell is now testing ‘track and trace’ in other parts of the business,
including monitoring pipe and tube materials.
FOR A HIGHER UTILIZATION
www.TANKMILES.com
REZ-1 acquires
IAS
R
EZ-1 has acquired International Asset Systems (IAS) as
a complementary offering to both companies’
customers. REZ-1 is owned by DCLI, an asset based business
with over 130,000 intermodal chassis based in Charlotte,
North Carolina.
DCLI wanted to expand into services and the addition of IAS will
add to their offerings bringing domestic and international
offerings together. This will make DCLI chassis more valuable to a
trucker or forwarder.
New Track &
Trace solution
from RAM
R
AM Intermodal Software launched its latest module
during Transport Logistic China this summer. The
company presented the new GPS Track & Trace solution
to both existing and potential customers of its market
leading tank operating software.
RAM is a leading provider of software to the international
tank operating market, enabling tank owners of all sizes to
manage sales enquiries, quotes, orders, fleet movements, EDI,
M&R, billing, documentation and other business activities.
The new GPS product is said to bring significant automation
to the work of operating tanks and comes with the promise to
help revolutionise the sector by significantly reducing costs and
increasing tank utilisation.
A STRATEGIC TRENDDSETTING PARTNERSHIP:
New tracking
portal
T
he innovative Quala Trax Portal has been launched to
allow customers to access real-time container service
status and invoicing.
The programme has been designed to keep clients as informed
and updated as possible and ensure fleet management more
efficient
The portal offers the ability to:
*Live-track a container’s status in the cleaning process, 24 hours
a day
*Track container history at Quala facilities
* Access current or past invoices, wash tickets and work orders
*Receive alerts when the container is ready to go.