Replacing pen-and-paper railcar tracking has brought tangible results to the over 200 rail sites that Industrial Networks serves and has saved operators time and money by things like minimizing demurrage payments by keeping inventory up to date, building inbound and outbound railcar lists automatically, and confirming switches without needing to access the database. An operator can simply walk the track, scanning each railcar along the way, and a detailed, editable inventory report will upload to YardMaster® via Wi-Fi or cellular connection. But what if an operator makes a mistake and scans cars out of the order that they are in?
What is Inventory?
For years, YardMaster Mobile® Inventory has been a staple of the YardMaster suite of core applications and the YardMaster® Rail Shipper Solution, enabling rail operators to accurately sequence railcars on tracks and gain powerful visibility over their supply chain. Later, the Spotting application was introduced to refine this automation by helping you ensure that railcars are in the right spot within your facility and ensuring better safety and turnaround time in turn. Now, Industrial Networks, in conjunction with Bourque Logistics, is excited to introduce four new applications into the Inventory suite – Track Switch, Direct Switch, and Confirm Switch.
Track Switch
Track Switch allows users to scan one or many railcars, shuffle them into the correct order, and insert them into the correct position(s)in an already existing track of cars in YardMaster. Data logged with Track Switch synchronizes with YardMaster® to ensure that all users have the most up-to-date information. This solution allows users to quickly adjust on-the-fly and avoids having to log an entire track of railcars to correctly account for one or two changes.
Direct Switch
Direct Switch allows switches to be recorded directly into existing tracklists. Operators can scan an AEI Tag and place the corresponding railcar into a specific spot on a specific track, allowing for switches and car movements to be recorded quickly and easily.
Confirm Switch
Confirm Switch is the easiest way to authorize switching requests made between different tracks in your yard. Confirm Switch allows users to view the most recent switch requests made in their YardMastersystem and confirm the changes before they are reflected in the database.
SwitchMaster
SwitchMaster accurately tracks cars immediately after performing switches by utilizing strategically placed AEI systems, eliminating the need to manually collect railcar switching data in your yard. Using the INT300 tablet in conjunction with wayside AEI readers, operators can select which track they would like to push or pull from and make daily switching painless and efficient.
Along with other Inventory apps like Spotting, Industrial Networks helps over 200 sites in creating accurate, organized lists and sequences so that you never lose track of another railcar. If you’re interested in hearing more about the Inventory suite and Industrial Networks’ rail automation solutions, give us a call at (833) AEI-TAGS or send us a note at sales@inetlp.com.