Pioneer from the very start
Vervaeke (www.vervaeke.com) is an established name in tank transportation. The company was founded by Michel Vervaeke in Espierres, West Flanders in 1934. It initially provided general transportation, but in the 1950s the firm was the first to tackle the carriage of sulphuric acid by road. Over time it shifted entirely to transporting hazardous substances by tanker.

Now the company also has branches in Zellik (near Brussels) and Seneffe (near Mons) and has grown to become the leading ADR tank transporter in Belgium. With a fleet of 300 ultra-modern trucks and 400 ADR tanker trucks, Vervaeke covers the leading European destinations. 
Vervaeke has always been a pioneer. Thus in 1991 it was the first Belgian transporter to be granted the ISO 9002 certificate. The company also played a vital role in establishing the important SQAS quality norm (Safety and Quality Assessment Systems) for the chemical industry, for which it obtained the certificate in 1993. Safety, the environment and considering the longer term have always been Vervaeke hallmarks. In renewing its fleet it made substantial investment in vehicle safety, and the newest trucks already meet the Euro 5 norm which only comes into force on 1 October 2009.
The company is known for deploying systematically modernising technologies or developing them itself to increase its added value for clients. It's thus no surprise that Vervaeke was also one of the first to implement a transport management solution. After many years of faithful service the time had come to replace the existing solution with one from a new generation.  

A measured choice
After a thorough evaluation of the many systems and solutions available, Vervaeke chose the CarCube-transport management solution from Punch Telematix.

"This wasn't just something we decided overnight," explains Frédéric Derumeaux, Director of Operations with Transports Vervaeke, "We compared a number of systems extensively, and ultimately concluded that the CarCube was far and away the best one for us. In the short term the ease of use for our drivers was the decisive factor. If I consider the longer term, I am convinced that we are secure with the CarCube and will be able to anticipate our future needs without problems." And he adds: "We were also extremely impressed by the professional and open approach of the Punch Telematic project team during the needs analysis, and with their evaluation support. It clicked, and that's important, also for the future."

Wim Maes, CEO of Punch Telematix: "For us, Transports Vervaeke is a reference of great stature. This is a company which is not only noted for its excellent service, but also for its innovative approach. After a careful comparison and consideration of alternatives they opted for our solution, which says something about our product and the way we operate. We cannot actually imagine any finer compliment. So we are also extremely pleased to be able to add a recommendation of this calibre to our client base."

Truck ICT Award 2008 – an intelligent combination of tried-and-tested technology and in-house development

The ‘Truck ICT Award’, an initiative from MMM Business Media, was awarded for the second time on 22 February last. The ‘Truck ICT Award’ rewards a company based in Belgium which manages its own fleet of trucks and implements an extremely effective ICT policy. The prizewinner for the 2008 edition was Ninatrans, a leading Belgian haulier which has specialised in aviation transport and carries goods between airports almost throughout Europe (www.ninatrans.be). Ninatrans was given the prize because of its intelligent combination of ‘best of breed’ technology and its in-house development. The result of this approach is ICT infrastructure that is tailored to the needs of the company and its customers to a maximum degree. 

Ninatrans is a pioneer in the area of using ICT in daily management. The company has developed its own software applications since the start of the 1990s and it was one of the first firms to equip its trucks with on-board computers in 1999. As the firm is convinced of the competitive advantage offered by efficient ICT management, Ninatrans also wants to remain a pioneer. A way of optimising the quality of its service based on the existing and self-developed back-office applications was sought during 2006. Ninatrans used the most suitable specialised supplier for each component of its transport management solution. Punch Telematix’s CarCube on-board computer and associated FleetWorks back-office application were selected for the on-board computer systems. User-friendliness, fast, easy integration with existing back-office systems, the professional approach to the project and the modern, innovative technology on which the Punch Telematix solution is based were decisive factors in this choice. The successful integration of the CarCube bundle was announced in September of last year. 

Ninatrans can confirm that user-friendly transport management solutions repay their initial expense. The company has calculated that its total ICT investments have already been repaid within 48 months as a result of direct cost savings. The indirect benefits such as competitive differentiation and customer loyalty-building are also certainly just as important. For example, the company offers its customers the possibility of tracking their transport in real time and calling up reports. Optimum customer service and customer satisfaction are of central importance during the development of its ICT applications. Ninatrans is also continuing to invest in extending its ICT applications. 

“This distinction crowns all of our efforts”, says Benny Smets, director of Ninatrans. “Thanks to CarCube, we can offer our customers fast, efficient feedback and the opportunities offered by our own software development can now be fully exploited for the first time. The investment in CarCube was the missing link, in a manner of speaking.” 

The winner of the ‘Best Innovation of the Year 2008’ chose CarCube

The ‘Best Innovation of the Year 2008’ award was presented on 24 January last during the third edition of the ‘Best of Transport 2008’ event at Théâtre du Vaudeville in Brussels, Belgium. The initiator of ‘Best of Transport’ is Transportmedia, which is known for publications such as Transport management and Logistics Management among others. Transportmedia celebrates hauliers which work ingeniously in the areas of fleet management, logistics, company management, human resources, etc. through the ‘Best Innovation of the Year’. The trophy for the most innovative haulage firm was awarded this year to Corneel Geerts, an intermodal haulage firm from Wijnegem near Antwerp, Belgium (www.cgeerts.be). This was not the first time that the company was among the prizewinners. It was also presented with the European Intermodal Award 2007 at the end of last year. 

Playing a pioneering role is not unusual for this family firm. In the 1960s it transported the first container that arrived into the port of Antwerp at the time and it was the first to offer a roro-ferry service to Sweden with its then partner Trailer Express in the 1970s. The company developed its pan-European distribution network in the 1980s and 1990s and once again was one of the first firms to organise transport to and from Eastern Europe. Today, Corneel Geerts offers combined transport throughout Europe and has specialised in grouping and ADR transport, among other things. The company offers a roro-ferry service for all of Scandinavia and the United Kingdom and combined rail-road transport to Italy and Spain. Corneel Geerts has a fleet of over 60 trucks, 200 trailers and 200 exchangeable containers. All of the trucks are equipped with the CarCube on-board computer, and the FleetWorks back-office application has been integrated into the back-office systems developed in-house. Computerisation and streamlining of the business processes were also decisive for Corneel Geerts in the success of its intermodal policy.

In a reaction to the award Marc Geerts, general manager of Corneel Geerts says: “You have to renew constantly to stay ahead of the competition. We also owe this to our reputation as a pioneer. Our cooperation with Punch Telematix makes it possible to continue to play this groundbreaking role. Our trucks are controlled from the sky!”

Wim Maes, CEO of Punch Telematix is satisfied: “Our customers’ success is also our success. After all, our main goal is to achieve and increase our customers’ success with our products and services. Our customers can increase their efficiency and offer better service with the help of our solutions, which leads to better margins, greater customer satisfaction and a keener competitive position. We are happy that an independent jury has confirmed this.”

Punch Telematix, a fast-growing, innovative and publicly quoted telematics firm, launches its new, improved CarCube. The CarCube is Punch Telematix’s fixed onboard computer for the truck- and transport sector, and a benchmark standard within this market segment. Its already extensive functions have been supplemented, on the new model, with time-saving tacho synchronization and a remote online display of the driver’s card. From now on, the CANbus interface provides the carrier with even more and accurate information about his vehicles and drivers. 

A useful tool for compliance with the Driving Hours Decree

The CarCube driver’s hours tool was developed as per EU Regulation 561/06 on driving periods, rest breaks and rest periods. Audiovisual signals warn the driver if he’s nearing the max. permissible driving period. In this way, both the driver and the planning department have an up-to-date overview of the time already driven and the amount of driving period that remains.

The CarCube driver’s hours tool works on the basis of the data entered in the CarCube onboard computer but can, if desired, be linked to the tachograph. In the latter case, the data relating to the driving periods, rest breaks and rest periods, entered in the tachograph, is processed directly in the driver’s hours tool of the CarCube and then relayed to the back office. The driver enters his status changes into the tachograph, and... job done! The tacho synchronization with the CarCube ensures that the data in the CarCube is up to date, at all times. Both digital and analogue tachographs can be synchronized with the CarCube. 

Administrative simplification

With the introduction of the digital tachograph, the driver’s data can, from now on, be digitally recorded onto a personal smart card, also known as the driver’s card.

The EU Regulation also introduced several new obligations governing the downloading and digital storage of the tachograph data. Once every 28 days, the data stored on the driver’s cards has to be read off and stored, so as to prevent against data loss. The data readout is done at head office using a specially designed smart-card reader (SCR). Because the drivers have to come specially to head office for this, that reading-off of driver’s cards is usually time-consuming and, therefore, an expensive business. 

Punch Telematix has developed an application whereby the data stored on the driver’s card via an external SCR, linked to the CarCube, is relayed to the back office over the GPRS network. No longer then do carriers need to wait, for payroll accounting and reporting purposes, until the driver’s cards are physically present. The data held on a driver’s card can be read off on a remote screen and is available, any time, for processing at the wages office, archiving and/or for statutory inspections.

Black box

A CANbus system is being fitted on more and more trucks. The new CANbus interface of the CarCube caters to this growing trend. Thanks to this feature-rich interface, the CarCube is able to store the vehicle’s FMS data, such as fuel consumption, speed, rpm, use of the brakes, cruise control, engine temperature, etc., …. and then forward it, for analysis, to the FleetWorks back office applications at head office. This is not all... For trucks equipped with a CANbus, the data from the CarCube driver’s hours tool can be synchronized with the status on the digital tachograph. 

The analysis of the FMS data offers many advantages. An accurate log of the fuel consumption means more accurate cost accounting and ditto invoicing. Parameter logging about driving style and driver behaviour affords Management the option of rewarding fuel-efficient and responsible drivers or of intervening, where necessary. Analysis of vehicle data is a useful tool for the efficient scheduling of maintenance inspections, and also for actuarial purposes as – in the event of disputes – such data may come in useful. In a sector where cost price has become a key competitive factor, rapid rescheduling and ‘fine-tuning’ is indispensable these days. The data on which Management is able to base its decisions is, from now on, available, any time, anywhere, without delay, for further processing or assimilation.

Success-driven development

The new features have been seamlessly integrated with the existing functions – the ones which made the CarCube software suite the benchmark onboard computer solution for the transport sector. The new, improved CarCube has already been implemented to good effect at the offices of several of our customers.

“The CarCube is widely known already as a very user-friendly, stable and reliable system. The new features raise it to an even higher level”, said Wim Maes, CEO of Punch Telematix. “Apart from that, we’re sticking to our winning formula. The CarCube-software suite is still a simple, ‘boltable’, total solution with predictable costs. Thanks to the leasing formula, our customers know, beforehand, exactly how much the total solution - hardware, software and data communications - will cost. The extra features cater to real needs of the transport sector. In the future, too, we will keep our finger on the pulse.”

Conscious choice

Ninatrans, a Belgian family-owned company based in Bierbeek, has been an established name in the transport sector for over 40 years. The company specialises in air freight transport and carries goods between airports throughout most of Europe. Its customers are international courier firms for whom rapid and, above all, reliable and prompt service are critical.
Ninatrans therefore needs no convincing when it comes to the benefits of on-board computers and an efficient transport management system. The company has been using a transport management solution for many years, but in the area of integration with its back office TMS and ERP systems, in particular, is now setting higher standards.
In order to optimise the quality of the service provided, Ninatrans carried out a market study. Following a thorough evaluation of the available systems and solutions, the Punch Telematix CarCube bundle was selected. Despite the heavy investment it had made in its existing on-board computers and transport management system, this solution prompted Ninatrans to take the fundamental decision to switch.

User-friendliness as an asset

"The impact a change of this scale has on the organisation should not be underestimated. We therefore took no chances," says Benny Smets, managing director of Ninatrans. "The user-friendliness of the CarCube on-board computer and the FleetWorks back office application considerably simplifies the changeover to another system. Good news for our drivers and planners - and this user-friendliness
was therefore a key factor in our choice. In addition, we were convinced by the rapid and easy integration with our existing back office systems, the professional project approach and, above all, the support we were given. Just as important was the modern and innovative technology that forms the basis for the solution." And he continues: "The solution saves us a great deal of time: the data provided by CarCube for payroll is accurate and can be processed immediately."

Tried and tested formula

Wim Maes, CEO of Punch Telematix, is satisfied: "When an established name such as Ninatrans chooses our solution following a careful comparison and consideration of the alternatives, this can be regarded as confirmation of our approach and indicates that we have made the right choices." The fact that rewards are being reaped from the Punch Telematix approach is also underlined by two other, no less significant, sales successes. As well as Ninatrans, Foronex and Trafuco have also decided to equip their vehicle fleet with the  CarCubebased transport management solution.
The Western-Flanders-based company Foronex is active in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France and Germany and was also looking for an integrated solution for more efficient transport management. A crucial element in their choice was not just the fact that Punch Telematix offers an easily integrable total solution, but more specifically the fact that this total solution is provided at a fixed monthly subscription rate with guaranteed technical support throughout the full term of the agreement.
Trafuco specialises in transporting hazardous liquids and solids and waste products in the Benelux and neighbouring countries, and in supplying ocean-going vessels with lubricant (bunkering). This Antwerp-based company integrated the CarCube and FleetWorks with its TMS back office system and was especially impressed by the flexibility and completeness of the CarCube bundle and the professional approach of the Punch Telematix project team.
Punch Telematix provides total solutions: the customer has only one point of contact for all aspects of its telematics application.
"That is why our solutions are also based specifically on an open, modular and scaleable architecture. This way, they are easily integrable with existing solutions - as illustrated by these projects - and can grow with the requirements of the company," according to Wim Maes.