After a project duration of only one year, the EU-funded project INTEGRITY - Intermodal Global Door-to-door Container Supply Chain Visibility - has put the ITplatform SICIS - Shared Intermodal Container Information System - into practice.
On Monday, 21st September 2009, the first SICIS monitored DHL container started its journey at CMML Warehouse, Shekou, China. After being loaded at the Yantian International Container Terminal (YICT) it was carried to the Europe Container Terminals (ECT) at the port of Rotterdam where it was discharged. The container reached its final destination - the DHL Warehouse in Rotterdam Albrandswaard
- on 16th October. Further containers are now being tracked with the first arrival in Felixstowe for BAP Logistics on 20th October. A second wave of companies tracking containers is scheduled for November. SICIS tracks containers' routes along the entire logistics chain and registers all events generated by the terminals involved and e.g. by Container Security Devices (CSDs). Equipping containers with CSDs is optional though - SICIS can also track containers which are not fitted with these devices. The status of the containers, e.g. deviations from the route or special security issues, will become immediately visible and if necessary, the responsible participant of the trade lane can take action. A further unique development of SICIS will be to combine the container tracking information with cargo consignment information and vessel tracking data, thereby combining all these information flows into a single stream.
SICIS is an open worldwide platform which all players in the logistics chain can use, it will be a single point where all the logistics and security information is gathered and to which other existing systems can be connected. The technical innovation of SICIS consists of the fact that every kind of CSD resource can be used as a trigger of information. SICIS has the ability to receive the information and to deal with it.
Tony Webster, Director Logistics of A.S. Watson Benelux and Sander Roldanus, A.S. Watson Supply Chain Manager agree about the current situation in transport logistics: "For lots of companies, the logistics chain is still a black hole. Because of that, they can only respond to deviations from schedule at a late stage. And that kind of last minute work always costs money."
SICIS will become the solution for filling this information gap thus reducing this cost factor by achieving Supply Chain Visibility.
On Monday, 21st September 2009, the first SICIS monitored DHL container started its journey at CMML Warehouse, Shekou, China. After being loaded at the Yantian International Container Terminal (YICT) it was carried to the Europe Container Terminals (ECT) at the port of Rotterdam where it was discharged. The container reached its final destination - the DHL Warehouse in Rotterdam Albrandswaard
- on 16th October. Further containers are now being tracked with the first arrival in Felixstowe for BAP Logistics on 20th October. A second wave of companies tracking containers is scheduled for November. SICIS tracks containers' routes along the entire logistics chain and registers all events generated by the terminals involved and e.g. by Container Security Devices (CSDs). Equipping containers with CSDs is optional though - SICIS can also track containers which are not fitted with these devices. The status of the containers, e.g. deviations from the route or special security issues, will become immediately visible and if necessary, the responsible participant of the trade lane can take action. A further unique development of SICIS will be to combine the container tracking information with cargo consignment information and vessel tracking data, thereby combining all these information flows into a single stream.
SICIS is an open worldwide platform which all players in the logistics chain can use, it will be a single point where all the logistics and security information is gathered and to which other existing systems can be connected. The technical innovation of SICIS consists of the fact that every kind of CSD resource can be used as a trigger of information. SICIS has the ability to receive the information and to deal with it.
Tony Webster, Director Logistics of A.S. Watson Benelux and Sander Roldanus, A.S. Watson Supply Chain Manager agree about the current situation in transport logistics: "For lots of companies, the logistics chain is still a black hole. Because of that, they can only respond to deviations from schedule at a late stage. And that kind of last minute work always costs money."
SICIS will become the solution for filling this information gap thus reducing this cost factor by achieving Supply Chain Visibility.
