Tracking and monitoring of freight cars through IoT

Monitor and track your railcars in near real-time with Kinéis connectivity, for more efficient and sustainable railway transportation.

At a glance

Issues

Railcar monitoring, though crucial to the future, is still under-deployed worldwide.

Solutions

Kinéis connectivity enables railcars to be located along their entire route, even in the most remote areas of the world.

Impacts

Better traceability and predictive maintenance to cut costs

Issues

In 2024, 5 million freight cars are in operation worldwide, including various types used to transport goods across different regions and continents. The freight car market is considerable, with a worldwide volume in excess of 25 billion euros a year, underlining its essential role in the rail industry.

Tracking and tracing railcars is a major challenge. In the event of a loss of connection, rail companies struggle to ensure traceability, compromising the management of railcars and their cargo, and the detection of theft or loss. These incidents have a direct impact on end-users, risking delayed or damaged deliveries.

Nonetheless, rail transport is the most environmentally-friendly mode of land transport, and is seen as a solution to today's environmental challenges. It is therefore imperative to optimize its operation.

IoT freight cars tracking & monitoring offers innovative solutions to rail transport operators to optimize their activities and contribute to more sustainable logistics.

The loss of railcars crossing areas not covered by terrestrial networks is a major challenge.

Solutions for optimizing rail transport aren't yet sufficiently deployed.

Delays, disruptions and incidents have a negative impact on the entire supply chain, affecting the end consumer.

Real-time monitoring of rail conditions is essential for rapid, preventive action.

Solutions

Connected objects represent a robust solution to these challenges and play an essential role in the digitalization of rail transport.

Certain anomalies require immediate intervention, whether it's a problem with handbrake activation, speeding, an unusual rise in load temperature, or the detection of an impact. Monitoring railcars via the IoT allows for the receipt of alerts in real time, enabling a rapid and appropriate response.

These solutions ensure the safety and reliability of existing rail transport and pave the way for continuous optimization in the future. Detailed analyses enable us to improve operational processes, anticipate critical scenarios, and develop proactive strategies to guarantee safe and efficient rail transport now and in the future.

However, reliable, permanent connectivity is essential to eliminate the risk of railcars loss once and for all, maintain a high level of safety on board freight trains, and pave the way for the future of the rail freight sector. This is precisely what Kinéis’ satellite connectivity provides.

The 25 Kinéis nanosatellites ensure a stable connection and a maximum response time of 15 minutes.

Intelligent sensors positioned on the railcars enable constant monitoring of their position and condition.

Even the most isolated railcars are always connected.

Any variation in temperature, vibration or shock is instantly detected and reported, facilitating rapid intervention.

Impacts

Better maintenance management optimizes operations, reduces losses and improves customer satisfaction by ensuring reliable, on-time deliveries.

Thanks to Kinéis, complete visibility and near-real-time alerts on railcars status and location are possible anywhere, anytime, enabling efficient resource management and optimal utilization of the railcars fleet. This optimization translates into increased revenues and reduced costs for human intervention.

The result: smarter management, enhanced safety, improved customer experience, and a contribution to more sustainable logistics.

Rail operators can track merchandise in near real-time, anticipate maintenance needs and optimize railcars fleet management.

Digitizing rail freight means better quality of service, fewer losses, and smoother transport.

The information gathered by IoT in the rail sector encourages a proactive approach, which is essential for the future of freight transport.

Being alerted almost instantaneously enables damage to be limited by acting quickly rather than several kilometres after the incident.

Logisticians, rail companies, rail regulators: let's join forces to make rail an even more efficient means of transporting goods.

Partner product

Europorte, a subsidiary of the Getlink Group,and Kerlink are revolutionizing freight with Track Value, the first logistics application using Kinéis' IoT satellite connectivity. This solution enables precise near real-time tracking and monitoring of transport operations through sensors measuring geolocation, temperature, vibrations, and other parameters, with data transmitted via the Kinéis satellite network when terrestrial networks are unavailable. Track Value will be marketed by the end of 2024.