‘Industry-wide data standardisation is key to unlocking AI potential in rail freight’

AI can help optimise terminal yard operations and planning, with the potential to reduce rehandling and equipment travel distance. The benefits within terminals are clear, but with proper data integration, AI could achieve even more along the entire supply chain, explains Tideworks’ vice president of software product management Chad Van Derrick to RailFreight.com.
The use of data in combination with AI can help terminal operations greatly. With enough data input, AI could tell you that a particular container has a 90% likelihood of being picked up after three days. That allows the terminal to place the container in a convenient location, reducing handling movements.

Extending this use of data to other echelons of the supply chain can yield considerable benefits, points out Van Derrick. “Automatisation in terminals ultimately helps the entire chain, but it would work better if there was a data exchange between all the component parts.”

For example, an AI system that analyses historical dwell times, crane schedules and gate congestion could predict when a container will be available for pickup. That data can then be exchanged with a truck company, enabling more dynamic and optimised time slots.

Data exchange

Nevertheless, data formats used by the terminal may not be compatible with those used by external partners. That means that such data exchanges are often difficult to put into practice. According to a Tideworks survey, 60% of terminals consider integration with external partners and customers as their top data management challenge.

In order to overcome such barriers, data needs to be standardised industry-wide. The TIC4.0 initiative, of which Tideworks is also a participant, aims to achieve that. It brings together companies from both the terminal operator industry and port equipment manufacturers and suppliers to develop such data standards.

All along the supply chain

That could lead to significant progress in the world of supply chains. “Big companies are trying to build a unified supply chain view across the whole freight route”, explains Van Derrick. “Those standards will help with that.”

Better integration across the supply chain can also enable terminals to provide certain premium services. That could mean prioritised availability for customers willing to pay. The terminal could stay ready to handle a shipment for extra payment, and AI can help plan this.

“In the US for example, companies like Walmart and Amazon base their choice of railway on these types of services. And in Europe, companies like Tesco do”, concludes Van Derrick.