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Issue 8 2019 - Freight Business Journal


///IT


Artificial intelligence – it’s a no- brainer for Stena Line


Gothenburg-headquartered Stena Line has begun using artificial intelligence (AI) to optimise its vessel operations. One of Europe’s biggest ferry


companies, it operates 37 vessels on 20 routes in Northern Europe and moves freight by sea, rail and road transport, as well as large numbers of passengers. By optimising the way a given


vessel operates, Stena expects to reduce fuel consumption by 2-3% per voyage. Fuel is one of the biggest costs for a ferry company, responsible for about 20% of total costs, while Stena also has a target to lower carbon dioxide emissions by 2.5% a year. Last year, the line commenced


a pilot project onboard the Stena Scandinavica on the Gothenburg – Kiel route using AI to predict the most fuel-efficient way to operate the vessel. The soſtware, known as Stena Fuel Pilot, is expected to be installed on five more Stena vessels this autumn, with a complete fleet wide roll out to follow across all remaining vessels in the European fleet next year. Chief transformation officer,


Jari Virtanen, comments: “Stena Line aims to become the world’s first cognitive ferry company, assisted by AI in all areas by 2021. This project is using AI technology to support our


captains and


officers to save fuel. By improving the efficiency, we reduce both


Keeping up with the globe-trotting ULD


Zurich-based Unilode Aviation Solutions is to equip all of its ULDs with a digital tracking solution, offering significant new capability to users of the ubiquitous air freight container. Unilode manages the


world’s largest outsourced fleet of ULDs, and also has the largest global network for the maintenance and repair of containers, pallets and in-flight food service equipment. One of the first of its


customers to benefit from the additional capability will be South America-based LATAM Cargo. Unilode has managed LATAM’s entire ULD fleet since 2016, but this development is regarded as “another major


milestone” in a partnership that has also already seen the opening of a bespoke ULD repair centre in Santiago de Chile. Latam Cargo chief executive


Andrés Bianchi, says: “We are focusing on reinforcing LATAM Cargo’s competitiveness in order to maintain our leadership in Latin America. Unilode’s digitalisation programme will provide LATAM with opportunities to enhance our product offering by improving visibility and adding features such as temperature monitoring of the tracking devices that will be fitted to our containers and pallets.”


our costs and our environmental footprint. It really embodies Stena Line’s vision of Connecting Europe for a Sustainable future.” He continues: “This is a result


of a successful collaboration between man, woman, and machine; between people and technology; between a team of skilled soſtware developers, data scientists and finally a committed captain and his crew on Stena Scandinavica.” Communications manager


Carl Mårtensson, adds: “Stena Fuel Pilot is an assistant, it gives recommendations based on AI technology and machine learning. The captain is still in charge of all decisions and can choose


to follow or not to follow the recommendations given by Stena Fuel Pilot. The AI technology used is combining data from a lot of sensors, including our fuel consumption data from fuel management systems and so on from the last five to six years. It also combines the information from depth, speed and much more.” Stena Fuel Pilot is certainly not


designed to replace sailors’ many years of experience of operating ships. In fact: “The human aspect is more important than ever,” says Mårtensson. “The experience of our captains and crew is priceless. This is a way of assisting them in a more fuel-efficient way of operating the ship, combining more data.” During the first phase of the


project, Stena partnered with technology giant Hitachi. The rest of the development work


vessels in traffic in Denmark, Sweden and Germany during 2019. The aim is fleet-wide deployment during 2020, for all regions and all vessels. “We are constantly


evaluating and improving the technology and that is why we are making this change a gradual one. Also, we need to make sure we have the right


software and


was undertaken in-house by Stena’s transformation department, which includes a team of data scientists and software developers. The Fuel Pilot is being rolled


out across the Stena fleet, while the technology itself will be upgraded as time passes, Mårtensson confirms. “We are now moving forward with five


installing at over 250 airports worldwide. Digitalised units will put LATAM in the position to create a level of transparency in its ULD network as never seen before in the industry.” Unilode’s digital tracking


Unilode chief executive,


Benoît Dumont, adds: “LATAM is a strategic customer for Unilode. Both parties have worked closely together over the last three years and we are now taking our partnership to the next level through our digitalisation programme. Our innovative solution will give both parties even more


visibility and control of ULD movements, and provide LATAM with exciting new possibilities to stand out from their competition and increase revenues in the segments that they are strong in, like fresh produce.” He continues: “Unilode is


Forward thinking, Forward moving Since purchasing ForwardOffice in 1998, our business


has evolved considerably. ForwardOffice has developed with us throughout this period. We have developed a


fruitful relationship with FCL and see them very much as a strategic partner, rather than just a software supplier.


Jerry Cook, IT Manager, Meachers Global Logistics


currently digitalising LATAM’s entire ULD fleet of over 10,000 units. This process will be completed next summer. LATAM will also benefit from the reader network Unilode is


product makes it possible to receive data not only on the location of containers but other relevant data such as temperature, humidity, shock and light. As a result, Dumont considers: “Digitalisation in the ULD sector will bring the entire supply chain to a new level, especially in the shipment of pharmaceuticals, perishables, valuables and fragile goods. “It will enable stakeholders


to monitor the supply chain and take corrective actions on time while allowing them to improve their performance and increase their cargo revenue – to name just a few benefits.” Information can be captured


on the ground and in the air (Unilode’s digital solution


sensors


onboard the vessels before any implementation.” It is only one of many IT-


based projects that Stena has ongoing at the moment. “It is one of many digital transformation


projects


improving our business, and most importantly making work more efficient and safer for our employees, in ports, onboard our vessels and in our offices,” Mårtensson concludes.


is said by the company to be fully certified, compliant and approved to capture data in-flight). The solution is based on standard Bluetooth technology and is therefore fully interoperable with other Bluetooth devices, such as mobile phones. Interoperability is important to the capability, representing


a significant


enabler to leveraging existing infrastructure in the air cargo supply chain that takes in airlines, ground handlers, freight forwarders and service providers. Building the reader infrastructure is a huge task and requires collaboration from all partners, Unilode points out. According to Unilode, the


integrated ULD tags have been approved for installation by all major original equipment manufacturers.. The company has partnered with OnAsset Intelligence and Nexxiot on Bluetooth tracking and data analysis.


American IT revolution gets underway American Airlines Cargo forwardcomputers.co.uk


launched the first phase of its new cargo end-to-end management system on 1 October, the carrier’s single largest investment to date. It replaces most legacy technology, narrowing 90 systems down to less than 10 and is part of a broader initiative to modernize the entire business. A team of more than 700


people across 300 locations globally and more than 150 business, technology, and vendor partners


at the airline’s new


headquarters in Ft. Worth, TX supported the implementation process. The new system is powered


by the iCargo platform and implemented


in partnership with IBS Soſtware. The platform


has a host of modern technology components, for sales, operations, customer experience, and accounting, allowing for more efficient online channels, better tracking,


greater warehouse


efficiency and a robust back-end system. More innovations are expected


to be rolled out in in the next 12 months and beyond.


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