OCR Serial Number Scanner for intermodal freight transportation
Over the last two years, the pandemic has wreaked havoc on supply chains, meaning logistics operators have had to scramble to keep up with cargo and deliveries around the world. One particular pain-point has been at intermodal terminals, where even small delays can become big headaches, losing businesses vital revenue.
However, new technologies are helping to speed up intermodal operations by making the identification of intermodal containers much faster and easier, reducing disruptions and ensuring deliveries are made on time.
In this blog, we will discuss the following topics regarding intermodal container identification:
- What are the unique challenges involved in intermodal freight transportation?
- What are the current issues with intermodal freight identification?
- How can logistics companies address these problems?
- What technologies are there to identify intermodal containers?
- What are the benefits of using OCR?
- How can Anyline be integrated?
Jump to key topics
Jump to key topics
1. What are the unique challenges involved in intermodal freight transportation?
Intermodal freight transport involves multiple modes of transportation, including trucks, trains or boats, to transport containers. This reduces cargo handling, improves security, and helps speed up transportation.
But nothing comes without downsides, and intermodal freight transportation also involves multiple challenges:
- As intermodal freight transports various materials over numerous vehicles, creating consistency in paperwork is critical to make sure the right content goes where it is supposed to go.
- The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has very specific standards in place for this type of freight, defining how containers should be identified.
- Intermodal transportation is conducted through multiple contracts across various carriers, increasing the complexity of the delivery.
- While it reduces the handling of cargo and is more eco-friendly, there is a significant outlay of infrastructure costs to make intermodal freight transportation happen.
- Intermodal freight will grow in the next few years, because it’s more affordable for shippers, and transportation companies as well as infrastructures will need to adapt.
2. What are the current issues with intermodal freight identification?
Intermodal freight transportation is a complex machinery, with many pieces needed to go well to run smoothly. And as we saw when the pandemic put more pressure on freight transportation, and the well-oiled machine was quick to jam. But what are the main pain points for intermodal freight transportation today?
Port Congestion
Large ships with more containers are efficient at sea but slow down at port because they require so much time to unload.
With the number of ships increasing (up to 65% in the Los Angeles port, the largest in the US!) from March 2019 to March 2021, many ships a day get stuck outside of ports waiting, reports the Wall Street Journal.
The demand is up across the supply chain which cannot keep pace, leading to shipping delays resulting in unhappy customers. Some companies have even moved to alter shipping methods, including for trucks, to alleviate the strain.
Struggles to provide reliable transport services
Perhaps the largest challenge in the industry is reliability. Intermodal freight transport continues to grow, but it doesn’t have the flexibility it needs. Ongoing infrastructure construction, job shortages or strikes are some of the challenges across Europe, challenging schedules. Investments are helping but haven’t reached improvement yet.
Customers want a smart and sustainable transport solution
Customers want smart, sustainable transportation solutions that are better for the environment. Eco-friendly intermodal freight transport is in demand.
3. How can logistics companies address these problems?
It’s safe to say that a problem is best solved with an elaborate plan. In the case of intermodal freight transportation problems, the optimization of the freight management system might just do the trick.
Key elements for intermodal transport success
- Rail Freight Tracking: the industry is using top-tier technology and algorithms that create real-time transportation data to address delays. Rail network delays are larger, requiring shippers to avoid simple mistakes that slow down operations.
- Waybilling: with all the necessary instructions and details from the origin to the destination, including routes and railroads where the freight will move, poor waybilling contributes to increased costs and delays, leading to inefficiencies.
- Analysis and Reporting: transport services can identify issues as data is collected for analysis. When cataloged, it’s then possible to root out the problem and address consistent concerns. This allows for them to be fixed if correct data analysis happens. Data can become a game changer for transportation companies.
4. What technologies are there to identify intermodal containers?
In order to speed up the unloading of containers and improve their cargo tracking, logistics companies should rely on technologies like the AI-based technology called Optical Character Recognition (OCR). It lets mobile workers accurately scan container tracking numbers in seconds. It operates as a smart device with a camera, such as a smartphone. The data collected is sent to the management portable without any inference from third parties.
Scan BIC and ILU reporting marks with OCR
Capture container information: Anyline scans ISO 6346 (BIC) and EN-13044-1 (ILU) intermodal container reporting marks, helping workers to identify containers quickly and accurately. It offers automatic orientation and container number detection without requiring any specialized skills. The accuracy helps reduce stress on administrative tasks associated with container fraud.
All container identification numbers are captured, processed, and stored completely offline, enabling your workforce to stay mobile and scan in the toughest conditions. This flexibility is reinforced by sophisticated machine learning models with real-world conditioning that give Anyline the edge when it comes to scanning dirty or partially obscured reporting marks.
5. What are the benefits of using OCR?
OCR-based solutions are growing in popularity. Why? They numerous benefits for intermodal freight transportation companies:
- Real-time visibility
- Instant information for incident management
- Full traceability of goods
- Fewer delivery and pick-up errors
- Faster input with clear instructions
- Affordability through controlled returnable asset management
- Improved back-office administration
6. How can Anyline be integrated?
Anyline’s software development kit (SDK) integrates easily. Hands-on support from customer service teams are available to help. It works with any camera-enabled smartphone or device with support for common integration frameworks such as Xamarin, React Native, Flutter, and Cordova. Integrate it into any app or mobile device. It was developed for iOS, Android, and UWP. It works without an internet connection, and no data is stored on servers making it compliant with the GDPR, DSGVO, APIS, and the CCPA.
You can get started today by testing it yourself with our demo app, or get the 30-day free trial for our SDK. The sample code can be found in our documentation and example projects on GitHub. You can download and test the SDK directly from our demo page.