‘Smart’ containers signal another new trend

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By Patrick Burnson, Executive Editor
March 13, 2015

It is heartening to see that at least one major shipping company is investing money in something other than making its vessels bigger.

We recently learned that French liner CMA CGM has increased its capital investment in the TRAXENS startup as it strives to introduce the industry’s first containers equipped with tracking sensors.

In 2015, TRAXENS, developer of innovative containers monitoring systems, will equip the first CMA CGM containers with its patented technology.

The technology will enable supply chain managers to know in real-time not only a container’s position, but also its temperature, the vibrations it will be subjected to, any attempted burglary, the presence of traces of specific substances in the air or even the regulatory status of the cargo.

“With this technology, CMA CGM brings the shipping industry into a new era. In a world where information is key, we are taking a significant step ahead. We will now be able to collect data in real-time, which is equally important to us and to our clients. Containers are becoming “connected devices,” says Elie Zeenny Senior Vice President, Group IT Systems.

Michel Fallah, Founder and President of TRAXENS says that CMA CGM’s support allowed his company to develop a high-valued and unique solution that is attractive to all transport companies.

Two other investment funds – CAAP Création (Crédit Agricole Group) and S.C.R. Provençale et Corse (BPPC Group) – are also part of the initiative.

CMA CGM, third largest shipping company in the world, carries over 12 million containers every year. Soon, many of these may be “smart” as well.