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Everyone benefits from digital transformation

Wed | 11 Dec 2019 | News

Everyone benefits from digital transformation

Self-propelled transport thanks to digitizing and sharing data? Rob Schuurbiers, CEO of Simacan, looks forward to the future. But he sees that digitisation primarily offers a solution to the problems that hauliers and shippers are currently experiencing in practice. By solving existing obstacles step by step with the aid of digitisation, they immediately experience the benefits and advantages. That motivates and that is how self-propelled transport comes closer by itself, in a controlled manner.

"Sharing data, enriching it and making it transparent, enables targeted cooperation and anticipation of current and expected situations".

"In our sector it's a lot about the self-propelled (freight) car, with all the traffic, economic and social benefits it's expected to bring. The self-propelled car gives us a future perspective. Even more important to me is the road to that future. Despite the fact that it is a bumpy road with obstacles, it gives Simacan energy! For our clients, these obstacles are relevant now and we would like to remove them for them. Digitisation is helping us to do that.

Sharing data
Example? As Simacan, we are committed to connecting hauliers and shippers. By sharing, enriching and providing insight into data. For example, we link transport plans to vehicle data and enrich that with current and expected traffic information. In this way, every party in the chain has the same picture. However, it is as transparent as possible and enables targeted cooperation and anticipation of current and expected situations.

It is a concrete improvement that we are now working together to achieve. At the same time, in our philosophy it is the digital foundation on which the sector can further automate and robotise. The self-propelled truck fits in with this in future transport operations.

Collaborate
Thanks to digital transparency and a shared picture, discussions between different parties in the logistics chain can be more direct about content and solutions. Moreover, a shared picture can be used as input for discussions with the government. Shippers, carriers, technology companies (of which Simacan is one) and the government can solve problems together. And think also of insurers, who also benefit from digital transparency and cooperation. For example, by calculating a safe approach route for drivers and displaying it as a 'last mile' on the board computer, dangerous situations are avoided as much as possible. In this way, we move forward together, step by step, on the road called digital transformation.

Social returns
So, thanks to digital transparency, I see all kinds of interesting conversations arise. I am also convinced that transparency leads to better agreements. Imagine all vehicles continuously emitting a GPS signal, while intelligent planning packages in the same ecosystem make complicated calculations at night and include window times, road works and environmental zones. Then we can get rid of existing track books and move on to what we call continuous reactive planning. Just a few benefits: fewer transport movements, fewer costs, fewer delays, less CO2 emissions and more safety!

Innovation
Digitisation is not always the solution. But in our branch of sport, digitisation is necessary to innovate within the sector. It's exciting to see what social interaction that can lead to: perhaps an N-road that is under construction, but that opens every day between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m. for digitally registered carriers? Environmental zones and window times with privileges for parties who can demonstrate that they drive 100% electrically? Tailor-made restrictions instead of one size fits all?

And that self-propelled car? It will come, someday. But it will only get there if we don't forget the here and now. My experience: everyone who hooks up, big or small, profit or non-profit, becomes enthusiastic about digital transformation of traffic and transport".

Text: Jeroen van den Nieuwenhuizen


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