2008-02-21 Manufacturing News

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RFTrax solution helps chemical and petrochemical shippers improve safety

Asset Management Platform from RFTrax helps chemical and petrochemical shippers monitor and track the location and status of tank railcars.

RFTrax, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fairfield Industries, announces its Asset Management Platform (AMP) for tank cars, which is designed to improve safety, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and regulatory compliance. The AMP provides wireless monitoring, tracking, and reporting of tank car location and status via Global Positioning System (GPS) and cellular technology, and allows customers to access data around the clock using the RFTrax Web portal. With reporting as frequent as every 15 minutes, this system can help chemical and petrochemical shippers meet anticipated government regulations regarding shipments of Toxic Inhalation Hazards (TIH) in high-threat urban areas.

“Chemical and petrochemical shippers are facing future regulatory requirements that may call for more stringent monitoring and reporting of tank car location in high-threat urban areas,” said Tom Moccia, market director, RFTrax. “Our powerful and reliable AMP solution not only addresses this challenge but also offers other important benefits. This versatile technology can improve management of railcars in freight yards and in transit, control costs, and enhance safety by monitoring the temperature of volatile chemicals.”

The RFTrax AMP, currently installed on over 1,000 rail assets, offers enhanced asset-tracking performance at an affordable cost. The heart of the system is the Asset Command Unit (ACU), a rugged, battery-operated telemetry device with an integrated solar panel that is mounted on the railcar. It features a microprocessor, a GPS receiver, and a GSM/GPRS cellular modem. The ACU provides the GPS location, direction of travel and speed of the tank car, and interfaces with external sensors reporting on such conditions as open/closed hatch, loaded/empty status and temperature of contents. Further, the ACU has been certified to safety standard UL* 913 and is rated intrinsically safe for use in Class 1, Division 1 requirements.

With the easy-to-use and secure RFTrax Web portal, which is linked to Google Maps** for geographical information, customers can track the location and status of their cars, set parameters, such as geofences (which establish virtual boundaries for cars), and run a variety of reports. They can also set up alerts that instruct the system to send an email or text message if certain conditions or events occur.

Data generated from the ACU and sensors can be integrated with customers’ IT systems via Web services and file-based data feeds. The RFTrax data service is compatible with leading third-party logistics software. For example, the AMP has been certified by Bourque Data Systems (BDS), a leader in rail logistics software, for use with Bourque’s RAILTRAC*** system and SAP.

In addition to chemical and petrochemical cargoes shipped in tank cars, the AMP solution is designed to track and monitor a variety of freight carried in various railcars: plastics pellets in covered hopper cars; automotive parts, steel rolls, paper rolls, and beverages in boxcars; vehicles in autoracks; and coal in coal cars. The AMP is also designed to help railroads boost productivity and efficiency and control costs by monitoring the location and status of their locomotives.

About RFTrax
RFTrax is a leader in total asset tracking solutions for locomotives and railcars. The company’s Asset Management Platform combines state-of-the-art technologies that incorporate GPS; a full range of wireless, real-time communications; specialized business intelligence; and integrated with supply chain management software that enable customers to make better business decisions, manage risk, increase profitability, and predict and prevent problems before they occur. RFTrax is headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fairfield Industries, Inc., a privately held multinational instrumentation and data collection, processing, and licensing company.

* UL is a registered trademark of Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.
** Trademark of Google.
*** Trademark of Bourque Data Systems.

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