In late 2017, Maersk Line was the first to announce the mass use of RCM technology in its shipment and customer management system. Thanks to the introduction of RCM, the company keeps increasing the turnover of perishable goods and agricultural products, together with pharmaceutical goods.
Customers of container lines within the Maersk group already have access to the Remote Container Management (RCM).
The system allows you to monitor the current location of refrigerated containers, temperature and humidity inside the container, as well as the power connection status at any time, anywhere in the world - not only on board the vessel, but during the entire transportation process.
Based on the data obtained, specialists provide container management not only remotely, but also, with the involvement of technical workers directly on the spot, if manual intervention is required.
The technology behind RCM is quite simple - GPS, modem and SIM card installed on each of 270 thousand reefer containers allow you to collect and store data about location, temperature, humidity and power connection, then these data are transmitted to clients and RCM support specialists through satellite aboard each of over 400 ships.
RCM allows to identify weak points in the supply chain and timely solve emerging problems. For example, if the refrigerated container was not pre-cooled before loading at factory, the customer will immediately see this in terms of temperature and will be able to contact the supplier or manufacturer. In the same way, if the truck driver or the worker in the port decides to disconnect the container, it will be visible.
If a container breaks down and it is not possible to repair it, the cargo owner, having this information, will be able to notify the clients whose goods are in the container in advance and take an alternative solution - for example, unload the container in the nearest port and sell the goods at reduced prices.
In the first half of 2018, with the help of RCM, more than 4.5 thousand incorrect temperature settings of refrigerated containers were identified. In 200 cases, the deviations were so severe that if the line had not received the information and had not made adjustments to the settings, the load would have been lost.
Thanks to the introduction of the RCM, shipping lines expect growth in transportation volumes in ref-containers of both traditional perishable goods, such as agricultural products, and new growing segments, in particular, pharmaceuticals.
