BASF Adopts GPS Solution to Monitor Railcars

GE Asset Intelligence, a provider of satellite and cellular-based asset tracking solutions, has reached a five-year agreement with chemical giant BASF to provide GPS-based monitoring of a segment of its railcar fleet. The GE VeriWise, solution, developed and tested over a three-year period in cooperation between GE AI and BASF Transportation Command, provides information critical for compliance with new TSA rules governing shipments of certain commodities. The hardware includes motion, temperature, impact, and tampering sensors that assist BASF in ensuring its fleet is secure.

“It is vital we do our part to keep our shipments safe,” says Steven Williams, logistics technology manager at BASF. “The technology enhances the safety and security of our shipments, helps us monitor the conditions inside our cars and provides decision support tools for our rail operations team to help increase overall productivity.”

The primary benefits of the system are related to homeland security and product quality, but the system also includes features that generate operational savings. As an example, railroads often charge demurrage when shipper-owned railcars are left on railroad property, sometimes up to $2500 per car per day. Using the event-based location information provided by the solution, customers can avoid paying errant demurrage claims. Information can alert customers upon arrival and validate the railcar was instead on private client property. This is one example of where BASF has successfully used the technology to create operational savings.