2009-05: Business Case H: South West

Ignacio Marín, Fundación CTIC

Partners in Business Case H have defined an information system which is now being developed, in order to fulfill the needs of ArcelorMittal for the transport of containers across the European Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. These needs include the dialogue with information systems provided by the different stakeholders in the chain of intermodal transport. Some of these information providers are maritime shipping companies (by means of the INTTRA system offered free by a consortium of these companies). The combination of a collaborative development among LogIT Systems (by means of their D2D software), Fundación CTIC (creating a software infrastructure that isolates D2D from the complexity of ArcelorMittal information systems while communicating with shipping companies via INTTRA), and ArcelorMittal (introducing Business Case requirements plus their knowledge of the internal processes of the company) is now offering the first prototypes for a holistic solution to the needs of ArcelorMittal in the North of Spain supplying cargo to customers all over Europe, based on the FREIGHTWISE Framework. Another partner, Novacom, has joined this Business Case in order to provide their cargo tracking solution, so the logistics team of ArcelorMittal can have detailed information about the location of containers and their cargo. Novacom is working hand-in-hand with LogIT Systems and ArcelorMittal to supply a module allowing updates for the actual location of cargo in real-time. The system will make use of MT3300 devices with GPS and temperature sensors, low power consumption, resistance to adverse environments and bidirectional information transmission via satellite. Simplified installation is one of the important requirements for ArcelorMittal operators to easily deal with the process of mounting the devices on containers.

One of the key requirements of the final information system is ubiquity. Different participants in Case H will be able to easily access information, no matter when or where they need it. Mobile devices will be used in order to consume and provide information to the information system in development. In this way, ArcelorMittal staff might immediately notify the mounting of a tracking device to a container at the very moment and place when and where it is taking place; different personnel in the different port stopovers for vessels might notify the reception and forwarding of containers in-the-field; or even administrative staff at ArcelorMittal, being queried by a customer about the state of a shipment by means of a (mobile) phone call, would be able to find an answer in real-time. Fundación CTIC and LogIT Systems are defining the interfaces for any mobile device with wireless or cellular data connectivity to interact with the software infrastructure in development. CTIC will provide the requirements for a solution based on device independence and considering typical problems of users on-the-go, like limited data input mechanisms or accidental loss of connectivity.