Information Technology is spearheading humanity’s advancement in every sphere of activity. The continually advancing innovations render yesterday’s tools obsolete in an environment where people perform essential tasks with mobile devices by entering relevant data getting solutions on the go. The speed with which progressive enterprises are achieving their objectives with mobile apps leaves the average performing companies stuck with outdated modes of working.

Change is inevitable and constant. It’s imperative that we embrace the challenges of these realities and adapt to the emerging world to stay relevant and become successful in our lives.

The shipping container industry works on “low-margin-high volume” turnout, often competing with a range of transportation modes. Such business models apply to container depots too, where the quest to become the top performer demands strict cost-control measures and leaner work processes to cut back wasteful expenditures and ensure quick decision-making by managers to guarantee on-time job completions. Happy customers spread their positive experiences to peers, and this brings more referrals, increased business opportunities and higher revenues.

Mobile apps for container depot operations help digitize workflows enabling real-time insights into onsite operations. Depot operators and asset owners realize the need to harness the potential of mobile apps. By entering purposeful data a single time, departments in container depots and stakeholders can access live information to take decisions. Staff members can respond proactively right at the worksite where an event requires immediate intervention. A live presence with access to a proven mobile app gives supervisors and managers a firsthand impression of an abnormal situation to initiate corrective steps before the problem escalates.

How do mobile apps ensure efficiency and productivity in activities associated with the shipping container arena?

Let’s look into a revolutionary solution called iPIX – a mobile and browser-based application that delivers insightful image and data sharing capabilities between depots and asset owners.

Features of iPIX specific to Asset owners:

• Quickly assign jobs to depots.
• Request images of containers stationed in depot.
• Track request status and view images through the browser or mobile.
• Share images with third parties.
• API integration for data transfer for activities like image submission, Gate-in, Gate-out.
• Instant image submission by email with a link to view the image.
• Access container images in bulk periodically through secure FTP channels.
• Integration of data with asset management system.

Features of iPIX specific to users in Container Depots:

• Submit live container images to the asset owner or transfer from the gallery.
• Optical Character Recognition for quick data entry.
• Capture information instantly.
• Manage asset owner’s requisitions with ease.
• API integration with depot management system for activities like image submission, Gate-in and Gate-out.
• Efficient time management by integrating with operating system and email facility in the same application.

Technical highlights:

• Approval workflow-based customer on-boarding.
• Multi-factor user authentication with mobile and email OTP.
• Integration with user authentication systems such as AD, O365.
• Scalable architecture and offline capability.
• Rich user interface and performance.
• Role-based access to the system.
• Integration with 3rd party services to get container information.
• Optical Character Recognition to read container number and other information.
• Photo segmentation to auto mark damages, rust.
• Work from anywhere.

Mobile apps are fundamental to our daily tasks to achieve goals. The Internet of Things (IoT) is in the forefront of a framework where devices and objects form a network to exchange relevant information among people. Mobile applications are the central place where information is gathered and presented to users. Digital infrastructure like cloud services and mobile devices enable efficient utilization of data.

iPIX from iInterchange Systems is a cloud-based application that captures real-time images and data for asset owners and container depots to take the right decisions by keeping live track of the work progress bringing in efficiency and sustainable growth for their business.

iInterchange Systems is a software solutions service provider belonging to the VS&B Containers group.