We are delighted to announce that VTG Rail UK has won the Innovation and Talent category in the Rail Freight Group Awards 2022.
At VTG Rail UK we are harnessing the future’s technology for today’s rail freight through a number of innovations and technological developments, and we won this award for our VTG Connect offering.
VTG Connect is part of our commitment to revolutionising the way information is gathered about wagon condition, status and location. Digital wagons fitted with telematic systems are an essential and integral part of this vision. Indeed, every wagon in our entire European fleet is being fitted with telematic technology to make rail the backbone of smart, sustainable logistics.
Accepting the award on behalf of our team, our Managing Director Colin Denman said:
“VTG Connect gives customers eagle eyes on their wagons, freight and transport chain by providing sensor-enabled data analysis of freight wagons. It is a fantastic product providing significant operational benefits to our customers. I would like to congratulate all the winners at this year’s RFG Awards.”
VTG Connect allows our customers to intelligently use data from digital freight cars, establishing tracking and tracing, shock monitoring and environmental temperature measurement. VTG Connect can also be used for custom-specific applications and be connected to individual hardware solutions that add extra functions such as weight measurement and lock monitoring.
It can generate reports on the mileages of individual wagons and the overall fleet. This invaluable information can then be used to implement more intelligent maintenance regimes because it can be determined exactly how many miles a wagon has done and so when it is due for service, allowing for proactive plans to be made as to when wagons should be taken out of the field for mechanical review.
By allowing customers to keep connected to their wagon, freight and entire transport chain at all times, customers are able to implement more robust processes for smooth operations.
The key features of VTG Connect are:
- Geofences: the user can create geofences wherever they like on the map and can then use triggers to notify when wagons enter/leave/pass through these geofences
- Triggers: as well as the above trigger, users can also set triggers for speeding, shock loads, and certain temperatures
- Reports: some internal reports exist, and the user can also create their own reports which can provide them with basic information such as wagon mileage and utilisation. These reports can be exported into .xls or .csv files
- ITSS push service: the user can set up an ITSS push service which means Connect will “push” them the raw data frequently to their selected server location. They can then use this data to do with what they please in their own software. This is the most widely used function in Europe
- Data can be downloaded for use in other logistics planning systems
Colin Denman added:
“We believe that digitizing wagons from end to end is fundamental to keeping rail competitive as a mode of transportation. They are a crucial factor in enabling us to give our customers innovative services that make their logistical processes and collaboration with rail carriers more efficient.”
The programme to equip all VTG UK wagons with Connect is in full swing and over 2,000 vehicles (50% of the fleet) have been fitted with the technology.
Learn more about VTG Connect here.