© ÖBB RCG / Castillo
Bettina Castillo, Vorständin ÖBB Rail Cargo Group; David Shaw, Senior Partner Manager Transporeon; Vanessa Langhammer, Head of Digitalization RCG
(Vienna, October 29, 2024) – The winners of the Supply Chain Excellence Awards (SCEA) have been announced. The prize in the category “The Digital Transformation Award” goes to the ÖBB Rail Cargo Group (RCG) and Transporeon, a Trimble company and provider of the leading transport management platform. The project collaboration resulted in the first seamless integration of multimodal transport on a single platform – an innovation that is unique in Europe. Representatives from both companies accepted the award at the SCEA ceremony in London on 28 October. This is the second time this year that the collaboration has been recognised with an award. It was only in June that the Austrian Logistics Award was given to RCG and Transporeon.
The “Champions League” of logistics awards The Supply Chain Excellence Award is among the most prestigious awards in the logistics industry and is presented annually to leading companies that demonstrate exceptional innovation and efficiency in their supply chains. Winners of this award set new standards in the industry and are considered pioneers in the development of sustainable, agile and resilient supply chains. The award is a testament to the excellence and implementation of global logistics solutions that ensure a company's long-term success, while emphasising its environmental responsibility.
Modal shift more important than ever The current extreme weather events show one thing above all: the modal shift to alternative modes of transport in line with European climate targets is more crucial than ever. The goals of the European Green Deal can only be achieved if there is a significant modal shift. „And we can achieve this if we make it easy for customers to switch from road to rail. This is exactly where the project comes in. I am delighted that we have been able to convince not only our customers but also the high-calibre international jury with this innovative solution,” says RCG-CEO Clemens Först.
Christopher Keating, Senior Vice President of Trimble Transportation Europe, adds: “In the logistics industry, rail and road transport are often considered separately. Despite the many advantages of rail transport, it is still a challenge for many companies, primarily due to the lack of transparency and the complexity in data processing. With our new solution, we are providing the necessary data for rail and multimodal transport for the first time in Europe. This will significantly support companies in achieving their goals in terms of modal shift and emission reduction.”
Industry demands integrated solution The cooperation of the two companies is based on the industry’s desire for an integrated supply chain solution, as the ALICE white paper “Increasing the Use of Rail and Intermodal Transport in Europe” emphasises. At the same time, shippers complain about a lack of transparency and real-time information on multimodal and rail transport. Until recently, there was no plug-and-play approach for real-time tracking of multimodal and rail transport within Europe. Status messages and information are only shared within the providers’ own systems.
The coupling of road and railThe RCG and Transporeon have established a solution that solves all these problems. Tracking information about multimodal and rail transports is displayed in the same user interface in which the shipper already receives real-time information about various road transports. Furthermore, manually entered status data is replaced by sensor-based real-time data. This not only enables customers to easily book road and rail transport on the Transporeon platform, but also provides innovative and easy access to sustainable logistics and efficient multimodal solutions without facing uncertainties or a lack of transparency. Whether by rail or truck, from the customer’s point of view, it always remains a fully integrated door-to-door logistics process from RCG based on the “One-Stop-Shop” principle. The first transports with well-known pilot customers such as Nestle and Vöslauer prove that the concept works.
A big step towards sustainability The majority is transported on fixed routes by sustainable rail, while the first and last kilometres are covered flexibly by truck. Customers always have real-time data (position, status, ETA) and reliable calculations of greenhouse gas emissions at a glance. “Thanks to the symbiosis of road and rail on a single platform, the potential for a modal shift in Europe is enormous. Multimodality is the future – and together with Transporeon, we are shaping it,” says RCG CEO Clemens Först.
This video shows an example of multimodal end-to-end visibility:
#TruckerHeroes Stories: Nestlé and Rail Cargo Group bring multimodal end-to-end visibility to lifeAbout Transporeon At Transporeon, a Trimble Company, our mission is to bring transportation in sync with the world. We power the largest global freight network of more than 1,400 shippers and retailers and more than 150,000 carriers and logistics service providers. Every day they execute more than 110,000 transports on our platform and book more than 100,000 dock-appointments for loading and unloading. In the course of one year, roughly €55bn in freight is being processed on our platform.
Our leading transportation management platform connects all actors along the supply chain. It facilitates collaboration between the different parties, helps to automate manual processes and provides valuable real-time insights. The modular Application Hubs solve specific logistics challenges and range from freight sourcing over transport execution and dock and yard management to freight audit and payment. Data hubs provide insights into logistics operations, market developments and carbon emissions, next to ensuring transparency in the supply chain through visibility. Our platform works across all geographies and all modes of transportation, empowering logistics teams to move, manage and monitor freight.
Transporeon is headquartered in Ulm, Germany, and maintains 18 offices around the globe with over 1,400 employees across 27 countries. For more information, visit:
www.transporeon.com.
About Trimble Trimble is transforming the ways people move, build and live. Core technologies in positioning, modeling and data analytics connect the digital and physical worlds to improve our customers' productivity, quality, safety, transparency and sustainability. For more information about Trimble (Nasdaq: TRMB), visit:
www.trimble.com.About Rail Cargo Group: the freight transport division of the ÖBB
As a leading rail logistics provider in Europe, we are shaping the industry. 365 days a year – 24 hours a day. Across Europe and beyond into Asia. With our presence in 18 countries, we connect people, businesses and markets – from the first to the last mile. It’s thanks to our 5,912 logistics professionals that 419,000 trains a year, respectively 1,150 a day, reach their destinations safe and sound. With our efficient end-to-end logistics services, we transport over 78 million net tonnes of freight each year. Operational management of the Rail Cargo Group lies with Rail Cargo Austria AG.
ÖBB
ÖBB has been shaping mobility in Austria for 100 years. As a comprehensive mobility and logistics service provider, ÖBB transported a total of 494 million passengers and over 78 million tonnes of freight to their destinations in an environmentally friendly manner in 2023. This is thanks to the electricity for trains and stations being generated entirely from renewable energy sources. With a punctuality rate of 95% in passenger transport, ÖBB is one of the most punctual railway operators in Europe. ÖBB invests more than 4.5 billion euros annually in railway infrastructure and its fleet as part of its drive to build a railway system fit for the future. Across the Group, over 43,000 bus and rail employees and about 2,000 apprentices ensure that around 1.4 million passengers reach their destination safely every day. ÖBB is the backbone of the Austrian public transport system and, as Austria's largest climate protection company in the mobility and logistics sector, gets people and freight to their destinations safely and in an environmentally friendly manner. The strategic lead company of the group is ÖBB-Holding AG.