Oct 01, 2013Argentinean container-terminal operator TecPlata is installing an RFID-based solution to track and manage conditions within the refrigerated containers (known as reefer units) stored at Buenos Aries' La Plata Port, making it one of the early adopters of a new system provided by Identec Solutions. The terminal is scheduled to open at the end of this year. At that time, it expects to have half of the approximately 1,000 units onsite equipped with active RFID tags, as well as a number of RFID interrogators. Identec's solution, known as the Reefer Asset Management System (RAMS), has been on the market for about six months, and is already in use by freight carriers, as well as several port terminals.
The RAMS i-Q350 RCM is an active ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID tag that connects to the reefer unit's microprocessor controller via a standard serial port. This connection to the microcontroller not only enables the RAMS tag to receive temperature, humidity and other data from sensors built into the reefer unit, but also allows the tag to serve as a two-way wireless modem between the back-end server and the microprocessor controller. Because of that two-way communication capability, the RAMS tag (acting like a modem) enables users such as TecPlata to not only monitor conditions, but also remotely instruct devices within the container to alter settings or turn themselves on or off.
Identec developed the technology approximately five years ago for another customer, Sea Star Line, in partnership with Mark-It Services (MIS), the vessel company's New Jersey-based reefer services provider. Sea Star Line sought to use RFID to obtain data regarding the conditions of refrigerated containers on its vessels, and also wanted staff members on those vessels to be able to remotely address any problems identified by the system, such as a temperature registering as several degrees higher or lower than it should be.
Identec worked with Mark-It Services to develop the solution—a device that plugs into the serial port of a container's microcontroller. The cold chain industry is ready for such a system, says Michael Dempsey, Identec Solutions' general manager of ports and terminals. Currently, there are about 1.2 million refrigerated containers in use throughout the world, and the market is growing at a rate of around 4 to 5 percent annually. Consumer expectations for high levels of product freshness are placing greater demands on the logistics industry, he says, to control not only temperatures, but also the levels of certain gases, such as carbon dioxide, that can hasten spoilage if they become too high. Therefore, reefer containers all come with a standard temperature sensor, but may also include other sensors, such as one to measure carbon dioxide levels.
To track sensor data and ensure that each container maintains the necessary conditions, personnel typically walk in front of the containers, manually recording their findings via pen and paper, and changing device settings as necessary. Some containers come with power-line modems (PLMs)—devices into which a cable can be connected, not only to power the container but also to draw sensor data from it. However, Dempsey notes, many containers lack PLMs.
When the RAMS i-Q350 RCM tag is mounted on a container via magnets, and is then plugged into the serial port, it can receive information from the reefer sensors. The tag transmits that data, along with its own unique ID number, at a preset frequency—such as every 15 minutes—to an Identec iPort 350 reader. The reefer's microcontroller can also receive commands via the reader and tag—for example, to cool the container by 2 degrees. That command is then passed along to the cooling device processor, and the temperature is adjusted accordingly.
If the i-Q350 RCM beacons every 15 minutes, Dempsey says, its replaceable lithium battery lasts for about three years. The tag has a typical read range of 250 to 500 meters (820 to 1,640 feet), both for sending and receiving.
RAMS middleware (known as iShare) resides on the user's server, or can be hosted on a cloud-based server, Dempsey says. To date, however, most companies, including TecPlata, have opted to host the software locally.
The iShare middleware acts as a data aggregator and filter, as well as providing reader management, but also translates encrypted data in both directions. Identec supplied the software, tags and readers, while Mark-It Services developed the translation engine to communicate data between a reefer container's microcontroller and the RAMS tag.
The system is currently in use in Pakistan, Colombia and Mexico, Dempsey reports.
TecPlata is an Argentinean subsidiary of international container terminal group ICTSI. The new La Plata Port terminal is scheduled to open at the end of this year, with the RAMS solution installed to track conditions and enable remote changes to those conditions within up to 500 containers in which chilled or frozen cargo is stored. Some of those tags will be mounted on the racks on which the containers are stored, while others will be applied directly to containers, and will then be removed from those containers when they are shipped out.
Javier Ramirez, TecPlata's operations manager, says the company hopes to use the remote monitoring system to manage the conditions of all reefer units plugged in at the terminal. The technology will also aid in container pre-trip services, he says—in other words, the terminal can remotely instruct a single container or a batch of containers to begin reducing the temperature—in advance of loading, for instance. What's more, Ramirez says, the system will also provide the terminal with a way of identifying equipment problems. In the event that a reefer fails to operate properly, he explains, he would be notified immediately, and could thus expedite any necessary repair work.
"We have developed the project in phases," Ramirez states, beginning with the installation of 500 tags—360 attached to racks on which reefer units are stored, as well as 140 loose tags, to be attached directly to the reefer units. The terminal will then continue installing tags, as activity demands, to a total of about 1,020 reefer units.
"We expect this technology will significantly contribute to our overall efficiency in all operational aspects of the facility," Ramirez says.
RAMS users, such as TecPlata, can buy the solution outright, including tags, readers and application software. Alternatively, they can lease the tags, readers and hosted iShare software from Identec.
