10 B ULK D ISTRIBUTOR
Asset Management
November/December 2018
dŽƵĐŚƐƚĂƌĨƵĞůƐŐƌŽǁƚŚ
ǁŝƚŚŶĞǁƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ
M
anchester, UK-based mobile computing provider
Touchstar Technologies PLC has embarked on an
aggressive growth strategy.
Mark Hardy, CEO, explains that Touchstar has been an established
provider of mobile computing solutions to the general logistics, oil &
gas and bulk sectors for over three decades.
“We’re renowned for the quality of our hardware and the ‘fitness-
for-purpose’ of our software solutions and this has enabled us to
maintain our market position against robust competition,” he says.
The past 12 months has seen Touchstar’s R&D department
successfully complete the development of a range of new products
including high specification cloud-based logistics digitisation and
optimisation software. This new suite of software products,
combined with new Android mobile hardware, has broadened the
commercial appeal and Touchstar is now actively marketing its
solutions into a number of new vertical bulk logistics sectors and
geographical markets.
New products
“TouchStar has been working within the bulk logistics sector for
over 30 years and has a unique understanding of mobile computing
requirements,” Hardy continues. “This experience has been used to
equip our new EPOD system with a range of features to optimise
modern bulk delivery process.”
The system is comprised of a suite of fully integrated components.
Front-end vehicle-based application software: Developed in
conjunction with some bulk logistics industry giants, the front-end
software facilitates a live connection between drivers, transport
staff, accounts teams and customers. Sharing live data regarding
vehicle position, on-board stock, delivery volumes and pricing,
enables both better operational decision making and a reduction in
administration.
TouchStar’s middleware product provides the link between front-end
vehicle-based applications and back office systems
Middleware: Handling the interchange of information in an
efficient and timely manner, TouchStar’s middleware product provides
the link between front-end vehicle-based applications and back
office systems. The cloud-based middleware environment integrates
additional functionality from a number of sources, enhancing and
consolidating all applications in one convenient location.
Mobile computing hardware: Touchstar hardware solutions are
device-agnostic enabling the client to select the best device for its
individual business processes. The range of ‘form factors’ which
Touchstar can offer is comprehensive and includes handheld and
tablet devices. More specifically Touchstar solutions have the ability
to interface with any current operating system from Windows,
Android or iOS. Many of the company’s devices conform to ATEX
specification, making them a natural choice for operation within
hazardous bulk logistics environments.
The most recent addition to the hardware range is the TS3200-A.
Suitable even for the most rigorous use in extreme conditions, the
TS3200-A provides full protection against dust, water and oil ingress
and is fully compliant with the ATEX IECEx directive, allowing safe
use even in potentially explosive environments. The TS3200-A also
uses front and rear-facing cameras and a glare proof 7ins high-
resolution screen, suitable for use with gloves. Slimmer, smarter and
stronger than its predecessors, the TouchStar TS3200-A is leading a
revolution in rugged tablet technology.
Logistics optimisation software: The back-end system has been
developed as a scalable electronic proof of delivery (EPOD) solution
for any size of business from SMEs to major blue chip organisations.
Whether the client has one vehicle or thousands, the system will
ensure the optimisation of work scheduling, reduce fuel costs and
improve customer service levels without adding extra complexity.
www.touchstarpod.com
The application of Aquaplot also includes dynamic factors such as wind and flow conditions in
the calculation, enabling real-time monitoring
ƉƉŵĂƌŬĞƚƉůĂĐĞ
ĨŽƌŵĂƌŝƟŵĞ
D
armstadt, Germany based start-up Aquaplot is
establishing a marketplace for third party applications for
the maritime industry in the autumn.
A first partnership with Vendola Solutions to develop new web-
based solutions for vessel owners, charterers and brokers powered by
Aquaplot’s platform, has been reached.
Henning Grimm, CEO of Aquaplot, said the marketplace is a
neutral platform for data and apps for the maritime sector. “For the
first time, we will be integrating apps from a third-party in co-
operation with Vendola Solutions in order to create a marketplace for
specialised applications for various areas of the maritime industry. We
combine our technical competence and infrastructure solutions, for
example for routing and vessel tracking, with the market and domain
knowledge of our partners from decades of practical experience,” he
said.
Grimm also emphasised the practicability of the Aquaplot
marketplace: “The maritime industry needs a platform where users,
data and applications meet to drive innovation and reduce the cost
of bringing new solutions to market. We already have several
thousand users, routing and AIS data on the platform and will
continue working on adding more sources and services, for example,
weather forecasts or vessel databases. The idea is to make all these
parts interoperable so applications can use the available
infrastructure without needing to reinvent the wheel for every app.”
The aim of Aquaplot is to push ahead with digitisation in maritime
shipping in order to improve transport and make it more efficient
and safer. This is why the shipping start-up not only positions itself as
an aggregator, but also invests in the development of components,
such as route planning, which are required for all applications. The
start-up uses nature-inspired artificial intelligence based on particle
swarm optimisation and evolutionary algorithms. Together with
integrated data feeds (weather, AIS), dynamic factors such as wind
and flow conditions can also be included in the calculations. This not
only allows real time monitoring, but simulations and various
scenarios can also be run for realistic forecasts and order calculations.
In addition to gain cost-benefit advantages, the aim is to increase
safety in the shipping industry. This means that in future,
meteorological developments can be taken into account when
planning routes in real time.
Aquaplot was founded in Karlsruhe in 2015 and develops web-
based technologies for maritime route planning. The company also
supports other innovators in this area with app components such as
user interface modules and provides data and information services
via a computer interface (API).
www.aquaplot.com
Monitor any asset in one system
Are you using telematics devices and sensors from several suppliers?
Frustrated from using different systems?
Do you need more content and better tools?
Not satisfied with your current solution?
Fleetmonitor is the leading service platform for telematics-based asset
monitoring in the rail and intermodal freight industry.
You can easily benefit from the unique and powerful content, services and
tools in the Fleetmonitor portal. Data from any telematics device or sensor
can be sent to Fleetmonitor and refined into business intelligence and value
designed for your needs.
www.fleetmonitor.com | [email protected]