We were looking for a technology partner that could answer our complex question with a top-quality tracking solution.
ICO, or International Car Operators, is a major player worldwide in the handling and storage of roll-on/roll-off cargo. This mainly concerns the loading and unloading of new vehicles, construction equipment and heavy lifting devices. They also offer services related to vehicle processing, ship agency, customs formalities, and the complete 'door to door' logistics. Through terminals in the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge, they handle more than 2 million cars annually for the world's leading car brands and RoRo shipping companies.
For unloading and loading, ICO deploys drivers who continuously drive in and out of the vessel, to and from a predestined parking location on the port site. When a vehicle is delivered to a parking lot, the drivers are picked up by a driver's van which takes them back to the ship. In order to waste as little time as possible, the van drives into the ship until it is close to the next vehicle to be picked up.
This constant driving back and forth by a large group of drivers through the general activity in and around the ship, combined with the enormous time pressure to unload and/or load a ship within the predefined time period, resulted in unsafe working conditions on the quays. For instance, it was common to drive with the side sliding door open so that the drivers could quickly get on or off. Driving behaviour also left much to be desired, with speeding, abrupt braking, hard acceleration or very sharp turns, which demanded a lot from the engine and the tyres. A fatal accident in a 30km/h zone was the proverbial straw that made ICO decide to change course by using IoT technology.
They were looking for a smart way to maximise safety at the quays, while at the same time optimising the logistical operation. An additional challenge proved to be finding suitable hardware that would guarantee sufficient GPS reception inside the metal belly of the ship for permanent data recording. The constant switching between driving up and down puts a heavy load on the system, so ICO wanted to be assured of high-end units they could rely on.
In their search for a track & trace system, ICO quickly came across All-Connects. The briefing was very extensive and clear. They wanted to collect as much metadata as possible from various parameters:
Location tracking:
Knowing where each driver van is located at the terminal
Speeds on the quay:
Create a heat map by means of geofence, in order to be able to place speed cameras in a more targeted way to register speed violations.
Door detection with alarm function (from 10km/h)
Knowing when a vehicle is driving with the door open
Driving behaviour of drivers
Abrupt braking, acceleration, turning
Distances travelled
Total distance travelled per month, per vehicle
Reporting of defects or damage to vehicles
Is the vehicle still roadworthy in terms of tyre profiles, oil, service interval, test certificate, ....
Driver identification
Who drives which van when? Registration must be possible via the well-known Alfapass
Cycletime
Driving cycle (collection - delivery - collection) can be calculated to optimise productivity and staffing levels
Fuel consumption
Comparison of fuel consumption to raise awareness of more economical driving behaviour
Given the complexity and high quality requirements, we proposed the S-connect: a robust high-end device with door contact, buzzer and alpha-pass reader. This reader was developed specifically at the request of ICO, and is now part of our standard driver identification keys.
The S-connect unit is connected to the vehicle's on-board computer and receives a message from the door contact sensor every time a door is opened or closed. If a driver exceeds the maximum permitted speed, this is recorded and the driver receives an audible warning via the buzzer. The S-connect further captures the G-forces data during driving and transmits all the collected metadata to the online management system LIVE.connects.
The geofencing software of All-Connects is used to create a virtual fence around a geographical area by means of GPS. In this way, certain areas can be designated as a 'GO' or 'NO GO' zone. When a vehicle, person or object equipped with the Geofencing software crosses the boundary line, an immediate alert is sent via SMS or email to the person responsible. On the LIVE.connects platform, the person in charge can see all recorded speeds of all minibuses in an overview and on a map. This heat map forms the basis for the targeted deployment of mobile speed cameras to record violations on camera as evidence.
Whereas previously maintenance and vehicle inspections had to be carried out manually, vehicle inspections are now carried out periodically via an automatic alert to the driver, who is then notified to carry out a vehicle inspection within a specified deadline. Through a handy LIVE.connects app on the own smartphone, the driver goes through the standard inspection list and adds comments and, if relevant, damage photos. The fleet manager can check the inspection reports per vehicle on the LIVE.connects desktop application and take action where necessary.
We also use the geofence zones to calculate cycle time automatically. This measurable data about the number of cycles/hour driven on average and where possible bottlenecks or idle time periods occur, provides the necessary insights to improve the planning in terms of staff deployment at critical times.
ICO International Car Operators has been working with our hardware and software for 4 years now, since 2016. The terminal manager, Johan Lockefeer, receives a daily report with:
1|Number of speeding tickets
2|Number of cycles per hour
3|Weekly kilometres driven
Through these reports and statistics, he can easily compare and analyse all information and take the necessary action. After four years, he can confirm that the implementation of the All-Connects system has significantly improvedthe safety score and reduced the maintenance and repair costs.
Want to know how it works in practice? Then book a short product demo. One of our application specialists will show you how our tracking management software works and answer all your questions.
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