Traxens targets 200,000

News-in-print 1 Nov 2016 by WCN Editorial

The French container box tracking start-up company Traxens expects to have its hardware on 200,000 dry and reefer containers owned by MSC and CMA CGM sometime next year, according to marketing director Tim Baker.

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Addressing delegates at the Intermodal Europe conference in Rotterdam this month, Baker said Traxens’ hardware is being installed on containers and vessels from both lines now, and Traxens is in conversations with beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) regarding the data services the company will be offering.

While both CMA CGM and MSC have a stake in the company, the data its system generates will be owned by Traxens, Baker stated, unequivocally. No details are available at this stage as to what the data will cost, or on what basis it will be available,and some industry commentators questioned whether Traxens’ model, of generating enough revenue from selling data to cover the cost of the equipment on dry containers, is viable. Baker said that while Traxens’ strategy is a “crazy, crazy idea”, in the context of the shipping industry “it is taking off” and big BCOs are interested in actually having supply
chain visibility.

One shipper questioned whether CMA CGM and MSC will really want shippers to have visibility into location data that can be used to audit their demurrage bills with the lines, which are often disputed. Baker said that while these types of issues will arise, having real data that can be used to manage the demurrage process more efficiently is actually beneficial to both parties.

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This complete item is approximately 500 words in length, and appeared in the November 2016 issue of WorldCargo News, on page 22. To access this issue download the PDF here.