The ease with which we snap photos in today’s day in age is dramatically different from even 10 years ago – almost every device has a camera, and most folks have one handy at any given moment. This is no different in the world of logistics.
Operators at any stage in the logistical journey of a product or mode of transportation know the importance of paper trails – to ensure the right process is followed each time, reduce operational liabilities and, in turn, costs, and for the sake of analyzing and improving operations constantly. In rail operations, this rings no less true. In today’s blog entry, we’ll discuss some of the ways rail operations can utilize photos to improve their inspections, component tracking, and to improve the overall flow of information and paper trail associated with moving railcars and rail freight.
Whether you are a rail shipper, a repair shop, a railroad, or anything in between, odds are you have dealt with ensuring that your cars are in good condition to move stock and in turn were required to complete an inspection form or measures to send it into the outbound traffic. Many operations now require certain photos to be associated with these inspection exercises. Whether it is noting mechanical or technical failures to be repaired or simply confirming that the railcar is in fact in shape to be loaded, photos can be extremely helpful in the balance between identifying the issues and confirming that everything is A-OK.
Industrial Networks and the INT300 series Mobile AEI (Automatic Equipment Identification) Tablet provide a user-friendly solution for taking and associating photos with specific railcars. The tablet’s 8-megapixel camera provides clear, quality photos of railcars and/or their components, and by simply scanning the car’s AEI tag, the photo will automatically be married to the car’s unique data and will update within your database or existing planning system in real-time.
For more information regarding INet’s Photo application and the INT300 series tablet, fill out our contact information form, send us a note at sales@inetlp.com, or give us a call at (833) AEI-TAGS.