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Managing the transportation and tracking of large amounts of liquids and gases is crucial for the petrochemical industry. Ensuring seamless coordination with various stakeholders is paramount. Overcoming these challenges requires advanced tools like OpenTAS and TVMS, which improves how companies handle their supply chains.
For the petrochemical industry everything needs to work together smoothly, from getting raw materials in, to producing the products, and finally getting those products out the refinery.
The petrochemical industry's supply chain is complex, with two main parts: upstream and downstream.
- Upstream Supply Chain: This part deals with getting crude oil. It includes finding oil, producing it, and transporting it from remote oil wells to refineries.
- Downstream Supply Chain: This part starts at the refinery, where crude oil is turned into the final product. It involves planning, producing, and delivering these products to customers to industrial customers.
Here’s how the integration of TVMS and OpenTAS transforms the petrochemical supply chain, making operations in terminals more efficient, accurate, and transparent.
What is OpenTAS?
OpenTAS is the world’s leading terminal management system - catering to various industries including oil, gas and chemicals. Based on more than 40 years of experience it gives all types of storage facilities a comprehensive overview of their inventories and movements. All measurement data, bookings and stocks are available from a centralized location in the system. Using this data, the tank terminal staff can take their operational excellence to a new level. At the same time, in-depth reporting functions enable the management team to make meaningful decisions.
Implico’s OpenTAS solutions ensure smooth tracking of incoming and outgoing goods, manage multiple transport types (trucks, ships, trains), and integrate seamlessly with third-party tools like Everysens’ TVMS. They are fully scaleable and support all common industry and vendor-specific protocols, making them highly versatile.
The Role of the TVMS in Transportation Management
Everysens offers a software called TVMS (Transport & Visibility Management System), a transport management system dedicated specifically to rail freight, that plays a critical role in scheduling and managing the transportation of goods.
For instance, a petrochemical company planning to transport products via trains would use the TVMS to plan orders: The shipper can specify various details such as the type of products to be transported, preferred loading dates and times, number of wagons and the quantities to be shipped. This initial planning stage ensures that all necessary information is gathered to facilitate smooth transportation.
Once the order is created, the next step involves validating the order with a rail carrier. This process ensures that the carrier is available and capable of handling the specified requirements, such as the preferred loading schedule. By managing these steps within a single platform, shippers can ensure that their transportation processes are efficient. From planning to executing the transport, TVMS provides a structured workflow and increased visibility to all stakeholders.*
Challenges shippers face without the TVMS-OpenTAS integration
Without the integration of TVMS and OpenTAS, the transportation management system faced multiple challenges due to these manual, error-prone, and labor-intensive practices.
- Dependence on Excel: Operators receive tank railcar compositions in Excel format.
- Manual Data Input: Data has to be manually entered for each incoming railcar.
- High Error Risk: Manual processes are prone to mistakes.
- Significant Time Investment: A lot of time and effort is required for data entry.
- Operational Delays: Manual procedures slow down transportation management.
The integration of TVMS and OpenTAS
With the integration of TVMS and OpenTAS, the entire transportation management process becomes seamless and efficient. Here’s how it works:
- Order Planning: The process starts with planning an order in Everysens’ TVMS. Shippers use the Smart Planning module to specify all crucial details - types of train wagons, products, loading schedules, carriers, and quantities.
- Loading Operations: At the loading site, operators receive detailed orders through OpenTAS. This includes comprehensive information on the train’s composition, types of wagons required, and specific quantities of products to be loaded. OpenTAS acts as the link between TVMS and the loading site, ensuring all stakeholders have precise order information.
- Automated Data Transfer: Once the composition is done, all details are automatically transferred from OpenTAS to TVMS. This automation eliminates manual data entry, reduces errors and saves time.
- Real-Time Updates: Since OpenTAS is integrated with the TVMS, any updates made during the loading process are instantly reflected in the TVMS. This real-time synchronization keeps shippers informed at every stage, ensuring transparency and accuracy.
Benefits of integration
- Operational efficiency: The automated data transfer and real-time updates significantly enhance operational efficiency, reducing manual effort and accelerating processes.
- Data accuracy: By eliminating manual data entry, the risk of errors is minimized, ensuring accurate tracking and reporting.
- Shipment transparency: Real-time updates provide shippers with immediate visibility into the status of their shipments, enhancing decision-making.
Conclusion
The integration of Everysens’ TVMS with Implico’s OpenTAS marks a significant advancement in managing the chemical supply chain. This collaboration not only simplifies operations but also ensures accuracy, efficiency, and real-time transparency. By leveraging these powerful tools, industrial shippers can achieve better transportation management, ultimately leading to better service delivery and operational excellence.
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