Bolloré Transport & Logistics, the company Next4 and the IMT Mines Albi engineering school are announcing today the signature of a memorandum of understanding with a view to developing new traceability functions for goods flows based on the study of data gathered by IoT sensors.
In particular, the three partners are committed to unlocking synergies between their various fields of activity in order to improve the agility and resilience of the supply chain relative to the transport of containerised goods..
Next4, a partner and supplier of Bolloré Transport & Logistics since 2018, has developed an innovative solution enabling its freight forwarder and shipping company customers to monitor containers around the world. In July 2019, Next4 initiated a joint research lab with IMT Mines Albi to co-design new innovations based on the real-time analysis of data from its trackers using artificial intelligence.
In 2019, Bolloré Logistics, a brand of Bolloré Transport & Logistics, launched Real Time Monitoring, an offering based on the Internet of Things and smart data processing. Featuring a proactive alert management system, the new solution developed by the B. Lab¹ enables the end-to-end and real-time monitoring of shipments while guaranteeing the integrity of the goods transported.
Seeking to provide Bolloré Logistics customers with new optimisation and prediction functionalities, Bolloré Transport & Logistics decided to join forces with this pooled research laboratory. The company notably intends to equip shipments with Next4 trackers in order to analyse the data using artificial intelligence models currently under development, and thus propose new services to its customers. It will also be the first to offer functionalities developed via the Next4 platform, itself interfaced with Bolloré Logistics’ Link traceability platform.
¹ Underpinned by a “design thinking” methodology, the B. Lab aims to step up the digitalisation of the supply chain by supporting initiatives in innovation, from ideation through to marketing. It relies on the global B. Lab network of Bolloré Transport & Logistics and on a global innovation ecosystem.
About NEXT4
Shipping goods by sea container involves risks – such as destination errors, customs blockages, damage and the loss or theft of goods – the consequences of which have a real cost for export manufacturers. Next4 brings these companies a solution for tracking containers in real time, from warehouse departure through to arrival at the distribution location. Thanks to a constantly evolving web monitoring platform and unique equipment easily installed in containers, manufacturers benefit from optimum control of their goods shipments and are able to react swiftly in line with the information they receive.
About Bolloré Transport & Logistics
Bolloré Transport & Logistics is a major player in port activities, a specialist in international land and rail transport, and an expert in bespoke logistics solutions. It has 36,500 employees in 109 countries, of whom 22,100 in Africa, where it also operates the continent’s leading integrated logistics network.
www.bollore-transport-logistics.com
About Bolloré Logistics
A brand of Bolloré Transport & Logistics, Bolloré Logistics is a major international supply chain operator ranking among the world’s top ten transport and logistics groups with an integrated network of 600 agencies in 109 countries.
About IMT Mines Albi
IMT Mines Albi is a school of Institut Mines-Télécom (IMT). IMT is the leading group of engineering and management schools in France. IMT Mines Albi trains engineers able to lend new momentum to companies, invent new products and processes through leading-edge research, develop them with industrial partners and thereby contribute to the economic expansion of its territory.
In symbiosis with its environment, IMT Mines Albi has specialised in expertise niches that are both original and high-potential. For over ten years, the Industrial Engineering Centre of IMT Mines Albi has harnessed the potential of artificial intelligence to analyse and interpret complex collaborative situations. The project is part of the “Supply Chain Management and Organisation” applied research focus aimed at understanding and managing the complexity, instability and hyper-connectivity of supply chains.
by Emilie Bona
