DB Cargo UK, Britain’s largest rail freight company, has launched an industry-leading new service that enables customers to view their rail freight deliveries in real time via an online tracking system.
The new web-based portal allows DB Cargo UK customers to see the number and type of wagons on their service, as well as exactly what progress the loco is making at any given time. Responsive to all mobile devices the portal is easy to use and can be accessed on the go.
The system has been designed by customers for customers and is the product of collaboration with some of DB Cargo UK’s existing partners including Mendip Rail, British Steel, Tarmac and Puma Energy.
Head of Sales Roger Neary said the new, web-based system had huge potential and would provide significant benefits to customers who could better plan their own operations on the back of it.
“This is a very exciting new initiative that will set us aside from our competitors. It has been designed by customers, for customers and will give them much greater visibility of the services that DB Cargo UK operates for them,” said Roger.
“It is a great example of collaboration, with the research and development process giving us a richer insight into what’s important to our customers and how our activities can impact on theirs on a day-to-day basis,” he added.
“This is the first step in a process towards delivering a customer experience that is second-to-none in the rail freight sector,” said Roger.
Following initial trials of the basic platform earlier this year, Stuart Lawson from Puma Energy said: “The new portal from DB Cargo UK gives us more insight into our operations and allows us to check on these in real time. Overall a very useful and easy to use tool. We look forward to seeing what other features are to follow.”
Malcolm Miller, Supply Chain Operations Manager at British Steel added:
“Modern supply chains require accurate and timely information. The new customer portal from DB Cargo UK provides customer specific updates for all our planned rail paths. Moving forward this will allow us to further optimise resources to support our business requirements. I look forward to seeing the future developments which will further enhance its capability.”
Samuel Roberts, Commercial Manager at Mendip Rail, said:
“The collaboration between Mendip Rail and DB Cargo UK through the design process has been very successful in producing a system that gives us access to the information we as a business need in real-time.
“We run services 24 hours a day so the portal has already given us greater visibility when dealing with customer queries out of normal business hours. We look forward to continuing to be involved in the testing and improvement of the portal in the coming months.”
Following the successful launch of the initial platform, further investment is now being made into developing the portal over the coming months.
This will mean that DB Cargo UK customers will see additional features being integrated into the platform over the next year.
