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Month: May 2021

Astronaut headlines future logistics conference

Posted on by Keith McKinley

To help identify where space-age inspiration could provide logistics businesses with solutions for 21st century challenges, Major Tim Peake CMG will be the keynote speaker at Logistics UK’s Future Logistics Conference at the Innovation & Technology in Transport Hub (ITT Hub).

The event is to be held at the Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre on 30 June and 1 July 2021, and Peake – the first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS) – will be kicking-off the free, two-day conference with a session challenging the way that logistics, public transport and technology operates, both now and in the future.

Peake comments: “60 years ago, Man had not even set foot on the moon, but the boundaries of what’s possible have been expanded, and I look forward to challenging visitors at the conference to push their horizons and help to shape the industry of tomorrow. I am also looking forward to experiencing first-hand the wide range of new options for logistics which the ITT Hub will have on show – and possibly even seeing what it’s like to experience an autonomous vehicle.”

Elizabeth de Jong, Director of Policy at Logistics UK, comments: “We are thrilled Major Tim Peake will be presenting at the Future Logistics Conference. As a pioneer of space travel, we look forward to seeing his vision for the future of logistics unfold, as he kicks off two days of debate and discussion at the Conference.”

Peake, a former test pilot, inspired millions with his work during Mission Principia while at ISS. he is also a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) ambassador, a schools’ speaker and best-selling author.

As well as an extensive exhibition featuring the latest developments in commercial and passenger transport, ITT Hub will also provide an outdoor vehicle display area and a unique series of “ride and drive” experiences, to give attendees the chance to try the very latest in vehicle technology for themselves.

Click here to see the full conference programme and to register for free.

 

 

Stolt joins zero carbon shipping initiative

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Stolt Tankers and Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping have signed a Partnership Agreement that formalises their joint working. With this agreement, Stolt Tankers becomes an official partner to the Center, committing to long-term collaboration around the development of zero carbon solutions for the maritime industry.

Through this partnership the two organisations commit to extensive knowledge sharing and to exploring future fuel pathways where Stolt Tankers brings valuable expertise around the challenges and safety aspects of handling fuels and chemicals both at sea and in terminals.

Other possible areas of collaboration include energy efficiency opportunities and new technologies where Stolt Tankers has a long history of looking across and beyond the shipping industry as a driver of innovative solutions. As a partner, Stolt Tankers will directly contribute through secondments of R&D- and shipping experts as well as test capacity of its own vessels in relevant demonstration projects and activities.

Lucas Vos, President Stolt Tankers, commented: “At Stolt Tankers, we are committed to working with other industry leaders, our customers and suppliers to build a zero-carbon maritime industry. I strongly believe that the knowhow, innovation and creativity needed for a greener future cannot be achieved by any one company alone and am excited to have joined the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping so that we can solve some of the decarbonisation challenges that our industry faces, together.

“Our team will bring valuable insights to the Center through our advanced knowledge and expertise, not only in the chemical tanker segment, but by leveraging the wider knowledge of our colleagues across the Stolt-Nielsen business. I am proud to be part of an organisation that is helping to create a sustainable future for all.”

In welcoming Stolt Tankers on board, CEO Bo Cerup-Simonsen says: “With Stolt Tankers, we are getting a partner with extensive knowledge and expertise in transport and handling of fuels and chemicals which is critical for assessing viable pathways for future fuels. They bring an innovative spirit which is evident in their operations, their impressive project portfolio and their commitment to a carbon neutral future for shipping. We look very much forward to the collaboration.”

Shipping’s road map to decarbonisation

With 70.000 ships consuming 300 tonnes of fuel each year, global shipping accounts for around 3% of global carbon emissions, a share that is likely to increase as other industries tackle climate emissions in the coming decades.

Achieving the long-term target of decarbonisation requires new fuel types and a systemic change within the industry. Shipping is a globally regulated industry, which provides an opportunity to secure broad-based industry adoption of new technology and fuels.

To accelerate the development of viable technologies a coordinated effort within applied research is needed across the entire supply chain. Industry leaders play a critical role in ensuring that laboratory research is successfully matured to scalable solutions matching the needs of industry. At the same time, new legislation will be required to enable the transition towards decarbonisation.

Manhattan Associates announces breakthrough in supply chain execution

Posted on by David Priestman

Manhattan Associates Inc. announced at its recent Momentum Connect customer conference a landmark advancement in supply chain efficiency and optimisation. With the introduction of Manhattan Active Transportation Management to the Manhattan Active Supply Chain suite, the company has unified distribution, transportation, labour and automation within a single, cloud-native application built on Manhattan Active technology.

Modern demands on supply chain organisations have exceeded the ability of traditional, portfolio-based supply chain solutions, which create artificial boundaries between distribution and transportation capabilities and limit productivity and adaptability. Manhattan Active Supply Chain eliminates these barriers by merging viewing, planning, optimisation and execution activities into a single app.

Manhattan Active Transportation Management has been fused with Manhattan Active Warehouse Management to optimise inbound and outbound planning and execution. This unified solution introduces an unprecedented level of flexibility and agility to solve problems that could not have been resolved before.

“True convergence of supply chain execution systems has always offered a tantalising opportunity for significant efficiency, productivity, and agility improvement. Unfortunately, technology limitations have made it impossible before now,” said Steve Banker, Vice President, Supply Chain Management at ARC Advisory Group. “The emergence of all-microservices solutions, like Manhattan Active Supply Chain, can help an organisation achieve a more continuous, collaborative planning and execution environment. The result is a more agile and efficient supply chain.”

With traditional supply chain suites, transportation, distribution planning and execution processes are performed independently. By unifying distribution and transportation, Manhattan has unlocked a new level of agility and responsiveness within supply chain operations. Its Active Supply Chain provides unified visibility and control of all supply chain operations, accelerating deliveries to customers thus increasing worker productivity, improving warehouse throughput and ensuring on-time deliveries.

“For years, our customers have expressed their desire to move away from running WMS and TMS independently and instead optimise and manage their inbound and outbound flow processes as a whole,” said Brian Kinsella, Senior Vice President of Product Management for Manhattan. “Legacy supply chain applications make the management of these end-to-end processes nearly impossible, because integrated applications are inherently limited in their scope and resiliency.

“Rather than integrating applications, Manhattan Active Supply Chain is a holistic collection of supply chain execution microservices, providing Manhattan and our customers with a comprehensive set of capabilities to compose end-to-end solutions. And, because all of the microservices are versionless, our customers benefit from our growing list of unified use cases over time.”

Manhattan Active Supply chain provides a single user experience across all supply chain functions. From one application, users can do everything from drill into labour productivity and robotic performance to respond to real-time shipment alerts and re-broadcasting capacity needs to change carriers quickly and easily. They can navigate seamlessly through shipments or view the real-time status of an order. As they comb through this data, they are able to take action on this information because in-line operational analytics are built directly into the execution systems.

Manhattan Active Supply Chain is the most adaptable, configurable, extensible and scalable supply chain execution system ever engineered. And it is only possible with the Manhattan Active architecture, cloud-native technology that is continuously adaptive, always current, and seamlessly interconnected.

Nord heralds a new era of drive technology

Posted on by Keith McKinley

With its latest product developments from the high-efficiency portfolio, Nord Drivesystems has once again demonstrated its competence and innovative strength in mechanical and electronic drive technology. This is what the managing partners Jutta Humbert and Ullrich Küchenmeister say:

“We focus on becoming better and better, and developing innovative drive solutions for more than 100 branches of industry. It takes courage to break new ground and to challenge the status quo. We have the courage because we are listening to our customers’ needs and wants, and transform them into sustainable products and concepts.

“With 48 companies in 36 countries worldwide, we are close to our customers. We on the management board and each of our more than 4,000 employees worldwide are very proud of our truly revolutionary DuoDrive geared motor. This heralds a new era of drive technology!

“The patented new DuoDrive geared motor has an efficiency of up to 92% and is thus one of the most efficient geared motors in its power class. This was achieved by integrating our IE5+ synchronous motor into a single-stage helical gear unit – a completely new approach in geared motor design.

“With our IE5+ synchronous motor, we have already been able to significantly reduce losses compared to the current IE4 series. DuoDrive goes one step further and sets new standards with regard to power density, installation space and version reduction. Our new high-efficiency portfolio is supplemented by the decentralised Nordac ON frequency inverter.

“With its integrated Ethernet interface and its very compact design, it provides a highly economic plug-and-play solution for IoT environments. For more than 55 years, we have been meeting highest quality standards with our expertise, experience and high depth of production.

“All quality-determining components are produced in our own factories and we are currently operating eight production locations with cutting-edge technology. In our technology centre near Hamburg, we are developing the future of drive technology – worldwide.”

 

Robot vision and AI combine for advanced automation

Posted on by David Priestman

Robots are gradually becoming an integral part of modern processes in logistics and many other industries. Replacing humans with robots for specific tasks brings many benefits – from higher productivity and efficiency to decreased costs and minimised risk of injuries. Freeing employees from repetitive jobs for more valuable, high-impact tasks that require creativity and critical thinking increases their motivation and eagerness, which, in turn, eliminates the risk of human errors.

Automation is certainly the way to go for any forward-looking business – but how to choose from the immense amount of solutions that are available on the market? What makes a solution better or more advanced than others?

For a robot to be able to perform tasks that were done manually before – and to do it as reliably as humans and even better – robots need to “see” and “understand”. That’s the essence of the most advanced high-tech smart solutions that enable businesses to push their processes to the next level of innovation and modernity.

Automation solutions that boost logistical processes

One of the leading companies in the sector of vision-guided, intelligent robotics for industrial applications is Photoneo. The company combines its in-house developed 3D machine vision systems with advanced AI algorithms to provide smart automation solutions for logistics, e-commerce, and other sectors. Photoneo’s automation systems help logistical companies process large volumes of parcels, boxes, and other items by deploying robots equipped with high-end 3D vision and intelligence.

These systems include the Universal Depalletizer for automated unloading of pallets laden with mixed types of boxes and the Singulation and Sorting System for robotic processing of large, unstructured loads of parcels and envelopes.

The basic principle of both systems is that they first scan an entire pile of items, recognize the individual objects in the pile, localise them and decide which one to pick, and then send a command to the robot to perform the picking action. The robot is equipped with a vacuum gripper with a suction cup and can achieve a picking accuracy of ±3mm.

The cycle time is only limited by the speed of the robot. The Universal Depalletizer can generally unload 1,600 boxes in one hour and the Singulation and Sorting System can process 2,500 parcels per hour.

Robotic vision – seeing in 3D

Photoneo equips robots with its industrial-grade PhoXi 3D Scanners, which provide a point cloud resolution of up to 3 million 3D points and an accuracy of 25-500μm across its five models. Each model is suitable for a different scanning range – from 15cm up to 4m.

The scanners provide superior performance even in demanding light conditions, such as brightly lit halls, thanks to the ambient light suppression technology. Their powering versatility allows users to use a single cable to get both electric power and data connection – the Power over Ethernet. Alternatively, the devices can be powered by 24V. Thanks to the IP65 protection rating, PhoXi 3D Scanners are dust-tight and protected against low-pressure jets of water coming from any direction and at any angle.

Besides PhoXi 3D Scanners, which enable robots to “see” 3D scenes that are static, Photoneo also developed a revolutionary technology that enables a high-quality 3D reconstruction of moving objects. The industrial 3D camera named MotionCam-3D enables a snapshot area capture of scenes moving up to 140km/h with a resolution of up to 0,9Mpx (and 2Mpx in the static mode). It’s five models, ranging from S, S+, M, M+ to L, enable the recognition of small packages as well as large boxes coming on a conveyor belt, for instance.

Robotic intelligence and the most advanced approach to object localisation

After a scan is made, it is transferred to a 3D texture dataset to be processed by Photoneo’s AI algorithms. For object segmentation and localisation on the basis of texture and 3D data, the systems use the most advanced approach to object classification and pattern recognition – a convolutional neural network (CNN). Because the network was trained on a large dataset of objects and thanks to its ability to generalise, it can quickly recognise even objects that it has never “seen” before.

Therefore, the parcels and boxes may come in any shape, size, material, colour, texture, position, or orientation. The objects may be irregularly shaped, deformed, placed randomly, and even tilted at an angle. The systems also master challenging surfaces such as black, glossy, or covered with various pictures, patterns, shipping labels, or protruding tapes. The depalletisation solution is even able to easily differentiate gaps between the individual boxes and those between their flaps.

Photoneo systems for automated depalletisation and singulation and sorting of parcels are universal, which enables them to work with any type of boxes or parcels out of the box, without requiring any further training. Another big plus is that the systems are compatible with a wide range of robot models.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RbGpQWp-O4

 

Government urged to publish rail plan for North

Posted on by Keith McKinley

The North’s leaders have called on the Government to urgently publish a long-term plan for the region’s railways, to give essential certainty on investment and delivery of major projects.

Through Transport for the North (TfN), the region’s political and business leaders say the Government must publish the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) for the North and Midlands as soon as possible to avoid delays to delivery of schemes including Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2 in the North.

They say it’s also critical to address congested hotspots on the North’s rail network today, as well as addressing the short and medium-term projects such as the Transpennine Route Upgrade.

The IRP is seen as a key pillar of the levelling-up agenda. It’s anticipated to detail the level of infrastructure spend over the coming decades; how major projects will integrate; and when and how they’ll be delivered.

TfN says the IRP is needed now to give confidence that promised schemes will be delivered, in turn creating thousands of new jobs, boosting the region’s economy to aid recovery from the pandemic. and helping cut carbon emissions.

Tim Wood, Interim Chief Executive at Transport for the North, said: “It’s now critical that the Government publish the Integrated Rail Plan so the North can plan with certainty around the railway investment that will be delivered. We can’t risk delays to Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2 arriving in the North and the economic boom both would bring – including up to 74,000 new jobs with NPR.

“Whilst the Government has committed to delivering the projects, there are question marks hanging over the detail until the Integrated Rail Plan is unveiled.

“As a co-client of Northern Powerhouse Rail with the Department for Transport, Transport for the North is ready to work closely with Government to get spades in the ground on the project as soon as possible.”

Earlier this year, the TfN Board reluctantly agreed to delay submission of the business case for Northern Powerhouse Rail until the IRP was published. The Northern Powerhouse Rail network, including a mix of new and upgraded lines connecting the North’s towns and cities, is expected to:

  • Contribute £14.4 billion in annual gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy by 2060
  • Create up to 74,000 new jobs in the North by 2060
  • Take the equivalent of 58,000 cars off the road

Tim Wood added: “The IRP is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to re-write the story of the North’s railways and address the legacy – and resulting problems – of underinvestment we’ve seen for decades. It will not only set the long-term trajectory for rail spending, but hopefully address the short and medium-term projects we need to tackle congestion today.

“We urge the Government to prioritise its publication so that work can progress on delivering the major components of a northern railway fit for the next century.”

Comments from Transport for the North Board Members

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “It is worrying that the Government has yet to bring forward their Integrated Rail Plan, as it is beyond time that major investments like Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2 begin to be delivered here in the North. In Greater Manchester we also need urgent progress on plans for HS2-NPR stations at Piccadilly and Manchester Airport to be fully integrated with our local transport network.

“Ultimately, if the Government is serious about levelling up, then the IRP cannot allow the ambitions of Greater Manchester and the rest of the North to be downgraded.”

Mayor of Sheffield City Region Dan Jarvis said: “If we are to level up the North then better rail connections between our towns and cities is vital. But we can’t get on with delivering those improvements until we have the full picture of the Government plans in the Integrated Rail Plan.

“We’ve now been waiting for six months, wasting time and holding up our efforts to renew our region and create jobs as we emerge from the pandemic. This lack of clarity also prolongs the uncertainty for businesses and people living on the proposed HS2 route.

“The Government must get on and publish their Integrated Rail Plan without further delay.”

Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said: “We need the Government to urgently publish the Integrated Rail Plan and commit to the Transpennine upgrade in full, Northern Powerhouse Rail with a city centre station in Bradford, the HS2 eastern leg on the same timetable as the western leg, and regional electrification.

“This investment is essential to providing the rail services our communities need as part of a joined-up West Yorkshire transport system that connect people to jobs, education and opportunities.”

Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: “Our business case for Northern Powerhouse Rail is critical for unlocking investments and business growth across west Cheshire. Combined with Growth Track 360 connections with North Wales, rail improvements play a major part in the future of our region, supporting jobs and playing a key role in tackling the climate emergency and wider determinants of health through cleaner, more accessible transport.”

Councillor Daren Hale, Leader of Hull City Council, said: “The Integrated Rail Plan is critical to our levelling up plans in the north. As part of our ongoing work to transform transport infrastructure in Hull, we need to ensure that our public transport is efficient and reliable.

“The electrification of Hull/Selby and Hull/Sheffield is an integral part of a modern, integrated rail network for the North. We would also wish for the electrification to connect our port as part of a commitment to decarbonisation.”

Körber and Balyo sign strategic partnership

Posted on by David Priestman

In signing a strategic partnership, Körber and Balyo, an integrator and developer of advanced autonomous fork-lift robots, will provide businesses worldwide with the latest technology in autonomous material handling equipment (MHE).

Balyo bridges the gap between traditional material handling equipment (MHE) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). This includes forklift trucks, tow tractors (for tugging applications), stackers (for floors/low level pallet movements) and reach-robots (for high racks). Through PL-d level safety sensors and proprietary ‘Driven by Balyo’ technology for autonomous operations, robotic MHE can be seamlessly integrated into existing operations without the need for additional or change in clients’ infrastructures.

Robots are already increasingly supporting businesses around the globe to tackle challenges in goods movements in the warehouse. The partnership opens up new opportunities to businesses. Kӧrber will work with Balyo to integrate its range of robotics to overcome challenges associated with full pallets, bulk movements and heavy goods. The result is flexibility, agility and scalability – smoothly increasing throughput and productivity with company growth.

The solutions also enhance employee safety and efficiency. A safer work setting is provided through smart safety and stop-and-go features – scanning the environment in real time for obstructions and instructing the robotic truck or tow tractor to move or stop accordingly. The robotic lift trucks also overcome labour shortages. Rather than replacing employees, the solution enables them to carry out more valuable tasks while working alongside the robots.

Pascal Rialland, CEO of Balyo comments: “We are very pleased to pursue this collaboration with Kӧrber as we continue to develop a partner network that meets local and global needs for industry verticals and logistics customers. Kӧrber’s expertise in warehousing and logistics and their global presence reinforce the complementary nature of our two companies and are a major asset for deploying Balyo complementary solutions to our customers.”

Nishan Wijemanne, Global Leader AMR/Robotics, Körber Business Area Supply Chain explains: “Flexibility, adaptability and precision are everything in today’s supply chain. Our partnership with Balyo is a testament to Körber’s dedication to offer the right tools to make this a reality. Robotics bring a new level of performance to warehousing and logistics. Our expertise combined with Balyo’s unique solutions will empower business around the world to conquer today’s complexities and to evolve with consumer and industry demands to capitalise on all the future holds.”

CFTS supports National Forklift Safety Day

Posted on by David Priestman

Tuesday 8th June 2021 is National Forklift Safety Day, and the UK materials handling industry is once again being encouraged to get involved, share guidance and take action to make sites safer.

Now in the UK for its third year, National Forklift Safety Day will be hosted by the UK Material Handling Association (UKMHA), which comprises the industry’s leading trade associations: BITA and the FLTA.

This year, National Forklift Safety Day will highlight the role of Thorough Examinations, and why regular inspections are key to ensuring businesses are using safe equipment.

As the industry’s accrediting body for Thorough Examinations, CFTS has been working closely with UKMHA to develop insightful resources that will be shared as part of the event.

CFTS Chairman Geoff Martin explains: “National Forklift Safety Day runs fantastic campaigns every year, and we are proud to support UKMHA in raising awareness about Thorough Examinations.

“There is a lot of confusion about what work equipment owners need to know and do in relation to regular inspections and checks. But by sharing information as widely as possible through this event, we hope to provide clarification and guidance.”

A key message this year is the difference between maintenance or services, and Thorough Examinations.

“There are certain legal requirements with a Thorough Examination,” adds Geoff. “Under LOLER regulations, the lifting equipment must be inspected in detail, and PUWER regulations require that safety-related items, such as brakes are assessed as well.

“Thorough Examinations can only be carried out by a suitably qualified Competent Person who has been trained to inspect the equipment and is under a legal obligation to report dangerous defects. It is important that owners and users are sure they are receiving the right examinations, as insufficient inspections leave them open to risk of accidents.”

The National Forklift Safety Day campaign provides a wealth of practical tips and free downloadable materials available via the website: www.nationalforkliftsafetyday.co.uk/2021-thorough-examination/

Operations start at smart eCommerce warehouse

Posted on by David Priestman

Work has been completed to turn one of the five freight hubs operated by U-Freight Logistics in Hong Kong into a smart warehouse.

The company’s 2,000 sq m eCommerce fulfilment centre (EFC) in Kwai Chung has been equipped with an automatic guided vehicle (AGV) and Intelligent Racking system, and associated operating software, to improve the efficiency of operations and reduce costs.

For inbound consignments, the system, which was supplied by award-winning RV Automation Technology Company, will analyse the weight and dimensions of each Stock-Keeping Unit (SKU) in order to bring the most suitable storage rack to the EFC operations staff, enhancing the utilisation of storage capacity and shortening processing time.

Furthermore, this shortens the time period to the outbound order processing stage, which means consumers get their goods sooner.

When there are no operations staff at the EFC, the non-sleeping AGVs still execute instructions and pre-arrange the required goods to be ready for pick/pack when the operations staff return to work.

The U-Freight Group was an early entrant into the world of eCommerce logistics, and over the last few years several of the company’s warehouse facilities across Asia, North America, and Europe have been equipped to enable them to act as EFCs.

“The deployment of autonomous mobile robots in warehouses around the globe is transforming the future of the e-commerce sector and its ability to meet rising business and consumer demand,” says Simon Wong, the chief executive officer of the Hong Kong-based international freight forwarding and logistics group.

“The latest development is part of U-Freight’s ongoing investment to meet the ever-increasing challenges of providing logistics services to this rapidly expanding sector of global trade.

“In our EFCs, picking operations account for an increasing proportion of costs, accounting for more than 50% of warehouse operation costs.

“Traditional warehouses mostly adopt the “person-to-goods” selection mode, which can mean high labour cost and low selection efficiency.

“By implementing an automatic guided vehicle (AGV) and Intelligent Racking system, we will be adopting the ‘goods-to-person’ picking mode, and believe this will improve production efficiency. It should also enhance workplace safety and improve ergonomic conditions for operations staff in our EFCs.”

In its development of eCommerce logistics solutions, the U-Freight Group is continually trying to address the key issues stemming from increasing volumes of business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) eCommerce shipments and the time sensitivity that is associated with this business.

Other than its latest initiative in Hong Kong, examples of those efforts include its launch of e+Solutions in 2019, a bespoke product to assist small businesses with their e-commerce logistics needs.

In addition to hardware investment, the U-Freight Group is now a logistics partner of choice for the growing number of online channels and platforms, which entrepreneurs are using to sell their own designs and products, including  global eCommerce shipping platforms such as Easyship, and is also heavily involved in the Fulfilled by Amazon programme in several countries.

Wong concludes: “All of these initiatives are helping us boost efficiency and capture more value, in order to capitalise on the opportunities that are being presented by the ongoing surge in e-commerce volumes.”

Trakm8 announces partnership with Energy Assets

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Trakm8, a leading UK vehicle technology specialist, has confirmed a new relationship with independent energy services business Energy Assets.

The telematics technology expert has rolled out its award=winning RH600 integrated telematics camera across Energy Assets’ full fleet of 200 vehicles, following a successful trial period.

Energy Assets is one of Britain’s fastest-growing independent industrial and commercial multi-utility metering businesses, helping both the private and public sector improve energy efficiency through ground-breaking technology analytics and customer-focused processes.

Trakm8’s RH600 solution combines rich telematics data with a cutting-edge 4G in-cab camera system, providing ultimate peace of mind for fleet managers. It is proven to reduce accident rates by up to 39% and cut instances of speeding by 35%. Indeed, it was the driver safety credentials of the RH600 that first led Energy Assets to investing in the device.

Ben Holleyhead, Fleet Manager at Energy Assets, explains: “The roll-out of RH600 across our 200-strong fleet represents a significant investment from Energy Assets into driver safety.

“To serve our customers, our engineers drive to all corners of the country. The Trakm8 RH600 solution will help create a positive environmental impact via efficient route planning by not only reducing engineers’ time on the road, but also fuel used and therefore emissions.

“Also, having the reassurance that they are following safety protocols and avoiding actions that could cause danger to themselves or other road users is absolutely essential. The system will provide valuable insight into our driver’s behaviour when out on the road to ensure we maintain a careful and considered driving approach.

“The integrated camera enables us to keep track of our driver’s habits, helping us spot potential training opportunities to further bolster the safety of our fleet. The RH600 also proves its worth from an insurance standpoint, with the device providing crystal clear footage from the driver’s perspective to help adjudicate during accident claims.

“After a successful trial period, we are excited to be rolling out the RH600 across our whole fleet. The feedback from drivers so far has been overwhelmingly positive and we’re looking forward to seeing the benefits the system can deliver to the business longer term.”

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