May 03 2007 Bell Canada partners with Shipcom and Deploys RFID-enabled Asset Tracking Solution For CN
[ PR News: 2007-05-03 ]

Bell Canada recently announced that it has designed and delivered an integrated Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) asset tracking system for CN at its Brampton, Ontario intermodal terminal.
The Bell RFID-enabled asset management solution allows CN to accurately manage incoming and outgoing truck chassis wirelessly, resulting in an increase in supply chain efficiency, productivity and cost savings. Bell Canada partnered with Symbol Technologies, Inc., The Enterprise Mobility Company which provided the RFID technology — rugged readers, rugged mobile computers and cargo tags, and Shipcom Wireless, an RFID middleware provider — to deliver the solution.

Remy Benmiloud, CN Manager, IMX (intermodal excellence), said: "Since the implementation of this RFID solution, we have experienced near-perfect read rates with readers and tags, which has resulted in increased efficiency of our chassis fleet, improved productivity and cost savings.
This is good news for CN's fast-growing intermodal business involving rail transportation and local road delivery of domestic and international containers."

The Brampton intermodal terminal is the largest of its kind in Canada, with containers moving in and out of the facility daily on truck chassis, including CN's fleet. With the Bell Canada solution, CN is able to record identification numbers accurately and automatically as the tagged chassis pass through the Brampton entry/exit gates. Previously, identification numbers were recorded manually, sometimes resulting in incorrect information. The manual system also made it difficult to pinpoint chassis status and location.

CN is reviewing the Brampton project with an eye toward possibly extending the RFID solution to its other intermodal terminals in Canada.

"The collaboration between CN and Bell Canada has resulted in a high-performance RFID solution that meets CN's asset and productivity management objectives," said William Bangert, Senior Vice President, Bell ICT Solutions and Enterprise Business Development, Bell Canada. "This implementation demonstrates Bell's leadership as a world class ICT provider. Integrating our wireless expertise with Symbol's RFID technology resulted in a winning solution for CN."

Bell Canada acted as system integrator for CN and deployed Symbol's new Cargo Tag in conjunction with Symbol's multi-protocol XR400 fixed RFID readers, which were upgraded to withstand the Canadian climate. In addition to the tags and readers and MC9060-G RFID rugged mobile computers, Bell deployed RFID middleware from Shipcom Wireless to complete the solution.

"RFID technology has become an integral part of how CN manages its intermodal operations," said Anthony Bartolo, Vice President and General Manager of Symbol's Wireless Infrastructure and RFID Divisions. "CN has realized the value of Bell’s RFID solution that enables accurate tracking and management of assets." For more information on Symbol's RFID product offerings visit: www.symbol.com/rfid.

About CN
Canadian National Railway Company spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the key cities of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, St. Louis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America.

About Bell Canada
Bell Canada is Canada's national leader in communications with 28 million customer connections across the country. The company provides consumers with simple solutions to all their communications needs, including telephone services, wireless communications, high-speed Internet, digital television and voice over IP. Bell also offers integrated information and communications technology (ICT) services to businesses and governments, and is the Virtual Chief Information Officer (VCIO) to small and medium businesses (SMBs). Bell is proud to be a Premier National Partner and the exclusive Communications Partner to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Bell is wholly-owned by BCE Inc. For information on Bell's products and services, please visit www.bell.ca, and for corporate information on BCE, please visit www.bce.ca.

About Symbol Technologies
Symbol Technologies, Inc., The Enterprise Mobility Company, is a recognized worldwide leader in enterprise mobility, delivering products and solutions that capture, move and manage information in real time to and from the point of business activity. Symbol enterprise mobility solutions integrate advanced data capture products, radio frequency identification technology, mobile computing platforms, wireless infrastructure, mobility software and world-class services programs. Symbol enterprise mobility products and solutions are proven to increase workforce productivity, reduce operating costs, drive operational efficiencies and realize competitive advantages for the world's leading companies.

About Shipcom
Shipcom Wireless is a leading provider of enterprise RFID and Mobility solutions. CATAMARAN based Auto-ID solutions have been deployed successfully at 150 + sites across Fortune 1000 companies.
It is a mature platform with a robust portfolio of wizards and reusable objects which can integrate directly to back end systems like SAP, Oracle, Microsoft. Applications powered by CATAMARAN cover Warehousing & Logistics, Discrete Manufacturing, Global Asset Tracking, Cargo & Container Tracking, Baggage and Security Management at Airports, and Field Service Management.