Dive into... SmartLINK
17. 09. 2020
Vladimir Cernek works in logistics at OMV Downstream and has been a Rail Cargo Group customer for many years. He told us about his experiences with rail freight transport and how digitalisation benefits the sector.
What experiences have you had with rail freight transport to date?
As someone who works in the logistics sector – in Primary Logistics Operations, to be precise – I organise transport by rail together with the Rail Cargo Group. Looking back over the past 10 years, you can see that rail companies have undergone colossal changes. Beginning with the rise of new rail services and making these services more flexible through to the digitalisation of rail freight transport. This transformation can be seen not only in service enhancements, but it has also made accessing all the rail services on offer easy and convenient.
What would you like to see happen in (rail) freight transport?
Three things are key in logistics: punctuality, flexibility and availability of information. Digital services make it possible to define exact timings in advance, since data and information are connected to each other and are in precise alignment. If any changes are made to the transport request, it is possible to respond to different requirements flexibly. Digitalisation ensures that no information gets lost and is available from the very second it gets sent out.
Do we really need digital services? And if so, where do you see the need for them in the logistics sector?
The sheer pace of our working day has made it impossible to organise every transport service manually and to discuss every request on the phone. Staff need to be provided with information that has been pre-sorted using intelligent systems and that is constantly tailored to match their requirements. That makes it possible for us to make the right decisions and get transport on track faster. Digital services are essential for this – especially in the logistics sector. I am sure that the digital trend will continue to get even stronger in the future, as requirements for service and customer focus are increasing more and more. The Rail Cargo Group has laid the cornerstone for this with its digitalisation initiative and is ringing in a new era in rail freight transport.
