While many railway enthusiasts enjoy the sighting and recording of trains, ie trainspotting, as a hobby, cement producers have a commercial interest in tracking and scheduling their rolling stock. Latest advances in software technology are playing an increasing role in all aspects of railway bulk materials distribution, helping to keep deliveries on track. By Thomas Bergmans & Dirk Schlemper, INFORM GmbH, Germany.
Information technology has hit the road: GPS, telematics, tracking and tracing, smart routing, etc, have become an integral part of bulk material distribution by truck. Many cement producers combine real-time data insights into their logistics planning software to find the right balance between transportation costs and customer service level.
