In the past, tracking consignments in single wagonload transport was a major challenge, especially abroad. The main reasons: too many interfaces, manual data entry, and systems that were unrelated and often incompatible. In this age of digital innovations, there obviously had to be a better way. And now DB Cargo's IT experts have reached a milestone with VABEs. VABE stands for Value Added Business Event. A VABE is a real-time status message generated using freight wagon GPS information. The benefit is that this data is available in large quantities and high quality.
VABEs help make rail transport transparent
DB Cargo has generated 70 million VABEs so far in 2023. They are created when GPS information is combined with other data that contains a specific business context, e.g. customer orders, data from production systems, geofences or infrastructure data. Pure wagon location data is turned into real status messages such as departure, passage or arrival, which can be processed in railway IT systems and by the customer.
link2rail APIs reduce working time
ScandFibre Logistics also benefits from VABEs. The Swedish company manages Europe's largest integrated paper and pulp business on rail. Thanks to link2rail's Track&Trace API, DB Cargo can provide VABEs directly to the company's in-house system "SFLow", eliminating the need to operate external portals, create lists or import tables by hand, send e-mails, or import data into S-Flow. That saves an immense amount of time and minimises potential sources of error. The fundamental advantage of this method is that customers have access to and can analyse wagons' location data not only in Germany but anywhere along their route. Communication and interaction with ScandFibre Logistics has thus been significantly improved in four main areas:
- Transparency: All wagon positions are transparent and visible to ScandFibre and our staff at all times, the data is automatically transferred to the relevant systems, and there is no longer any need for manual data transfer.
- Quality: GPS positioning is very accurate and is updated at regular intervals while vehicles are in motion.
- Speed: Lengthy searches or enquiries about wagon positions in other European countries are a thing of the past; the customer has direct and nearly real-time access to the data.
- Satisfaction: Increased data quality, greater transparency and faster responses increase overall customer satisfaction.
DB Cargo was able to realise these benefits for ScandFibre Logistics. After connecting the Track&Trace API and going through a test phase, VABEs were integrated into the live processes and systems. This made it possible to track wagon traffic more transparently, optimise internal processes, and reduce manual activities.
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