French IoT firm Traxens is poised to receive major investment from shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk, alongside a big order for cellular cargo trackers. It has also been drafted into the new French Smart Port in Med initiative in Marseille as an associate partner.
Traxens provides tracking solutions for the cargo logistics sector, notably for shipping containers and rail-freight wagons. It has received funding from French container transportation and shipping company CMA CGM, which invested in the firm as a startup in 2012, and Switerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), which took a stake in 2016.
The new investment from Maersk, which is pending final approval, will see the Danish firm take a similar share to CMA CGM and MSC. Maersk has also committed to order up to 50,000 Traxens devices. Traxens has equipped around 6,000 shipping containers to date. It has 100,000 in the pipe from CMA CGM and MSC; the new order will bring its pending deliveries to 150,000.
Traxens’ tracking devices include sensors for measuring location, geo-fencing, movement, shock, and external temperature. They are connected via 2G and 3G cellular networks; the firm is looking at LTE/4G upgrades, with 2G-fallback.
Ingrid Uppelschoten Snelderwaard, vice president and head of equipment at A.P. Moller-Maersk, said: “Creating visibility into the condition and location of containerised cargo is bringing Maersk’s strategy to offer digital end-to-end solutions to life.
“Having pioneered IoT-technology in our reefer fleet, we are excited to join Traxens and collaborate on the huge potential within connected containers. With this investment we look forward to working with key industry players to advance a leading solution within connected products and technologies for high value cargo, while ensuring customer choice through interoperability and open standards.”
Jacques Delort, general manager at Traxens, said: “Having three of the world’s largest shipping companies supporting uswill help accelerate our international development and contribute to our solution becoming a global market standard for the entire supply chain.”
Meanwhile, Traxens has been recruited as the only IoT company for the French Smart Port in Med initiative, which was initiated at the end of 2018 by the Marseille Provence Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the port authority of Marseille Fos and the Aix Marseille Provence University. The project is looking to esablish the Marseille Fos port, in southern France, as an industrial IoT testbed, with a strategic focus to drive its efficiencies, innovation, and green credentials.
It also wants to bring new employment opportunities and engage the local community, on its way to “build the port of the future”.
The initiative has received funding from CMA CGM, French energy group EDF, Dutch data centre company Interxion, French shipping company La Meridionale, Marsellile shopping centre Les Terrasses Du Port, and French industrial group Naval Group. Traxens is listed as both an associate and economic partner.
Jean-François Suhas, president of the Club de la Croisière Marseille Provence and member of the Marseille Provence Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “We are eager to create the port of the future in Marseille, which can bring numerous benefits to everyone. We are delighted to welcome Traxens as a new partner in our initiative. We believe that the company is an ideal addition to the range of partners in pursuing our objectives of making port operations even more fluid.”
Delort said: “We are excited to join such a promising initiative and to be part of the digital transformation of the port of Marseille. We can’t wait to start work improving the port’s efficiency and environmental credentials, among other ambitious projects.”
Traxens has also announced a deal with Indonesian firm PT Trans Kontainer Solusindo (TKS), to equip reefer containers with tracking and telematics.
Domestic container trade is essential in Indonesia, which is made up of 17,000 islands. PT TKSolusindo is a non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC), which means it transports goods in the region under its own documentation, without operating ocean transportation vessels.
An undisclosed number of containers belonging to the China International Marine Containers (CIMC) were retro-fitted with trackers in factories in Taicang and Qingdao, in China, in “a coupleof days”, said Traxens. They are providing PT TKS with live positional and environmental data on controlled-atmosphere containers in transit.
Traxens said the wider shipping ecosystem – including ports, freight forwarders, insurance, and financial institutions – can also benefit from the data. Glenn Manoppo from PT TKS said: “The pricing from Traxens was important in our decision when selecting the right partner for the the digital transformation of our operations.”
Delort added: “We look forward to further co-operations in Asia, a region where domestic and international shipping is crucial for economic success.”
