Telematics takes tracking to a new level

Information technology is increasingly
playing an integral role in security and
efficiency in the container industry
– with more than 90% of the world’s
non-bulk cargo moved by container
ships.
Jonathan Sims of specialised
South African freight forwarding and
customs clearing IT service provider
Core Freight Systems believes that
information technology shares a
number of attributes with the container
industry. “IT deals with the efficient
processing and movement of data as
containerisation addresses the physical
movement of the goods,” says Sims.
“As an example, the standardisation
of data formats and the communication
mechanisms for EDI messages
interfaced from one application to
another in order to track and process
the international flow of goods may
be compared with the ISO standards
prescribed for container sizes and the
production of cargo ships to carry
them. Both are essential and integral
to optimising performance along the
logistics supply chain.”
This commonality of purpose,
however, provides further opportunity
for combined meaningful contribution
to the supply chain between
containerisation and information
technology, in his view. “The
application of telematics – the
technology of collecting and reporting
data from a remote object – illustrates
this,” says Sims. “Imagine a device
that would not only report the global
position of a container, but monitor
the security of the contents by
recording if the container is opened,
any impact suffered, deviations of
internal temperature from prescribed
standards, and even measure the levels
of gas content within the container. We
understand that this is possible.
“At Core Freight we strive to provide
reliable systems, leveraging IT in
combination with other participants
within the supply chain to provide
competitive advantage for our users,
whether it relates to containers or any
other aspect of their business.”