“A picture speaks a thousand words!” It is a natural human tendency to believe what the eye sees, more than what words convey. Here come the capabilities of mobile apps, where container depot operators upload and share live images of containers to instill a sense of trust and transparency amongst the stakeholders, keeping track of the progress of work.

Digitalization and the increasing application of mobile apps are unavoidable in these times of rapid advancement in technology. Industry-specific mobile apps modernize the operational and maintenance processes at container depots by bringing stakeholders on to a unified platform by their ability to upload and share live images of events to enable quick decision-making by staff. Mobile apps have thus ushered in the dawn of a new age in maintenance and repair activities at container depots.

Maintaining containers in good condition is a matter of concern and importance to the owners because the revenue these boxes generate depends on how well they are taken care of and kept in a state that guarantees their long life. But damages to containers are inevitable during loading, unloading and passage through multiple modes of transport. Ultimately, the containers owners or the shipping lines who own the containers become liable and have to bear the costs of repair and maintenance.

Container damage and insurance settlements
Natural disasters, malfunctioning machinery and human errors like the improper choice of containers make up the principal causes of container damage during transit and handling. Containers must be inspected to check physical damages, odor, ventilation, temperature control and quality of the floor. Careless loading is also a major contributor to container damage. Overloading, uneven distribution of weight and improper securing of cargo inside the containers cause the goods to shift back and forth during transportation. The high atmospheric moisture content near oceans condenses into water and reaches the walls and ceilings to drip down resulting in container rain that causes rust and corrosion. Negligence while handling cargo with forklifts can cause punctures and dents. All these factors warrant regular inspection and maintenance of containers.

Systematic surveys by certified inspectors help in the upkeep of containers ensuring smooth logistical operations. But despite the best of efforts, untoward incidents are commonplace, so the importance of insurance cannot be undermined. Insurance companies scrutinize documentation and do thorough inspections of damaged containers to reach a conclusion on the legitimacy of claims. When a claim is supported by images, it generates a sense of trust and transparency. Mobile photo-sharing apps perform a major function here.

Mobile apps specially designed to capture and share images with team members, stakeholders and authorities keep a systematic track of the work progress in container depots. It helps in the quick settlement of insurance claims. Modern apps specific to container depots help capture pictures instantly, add notes and share data with just a few clicks.

iPIX is a proprietary mobile application developed by industry experts to cater to the critical needs of supervisors and managers at container depots. It delivers insightful image and data sharing functions for the benefit of container depots and asset owners.

How do the asset owners benefit from iPIX?

• Allocate tasks to depots with a few clicks.
• Call for images of containers positioned in the depot.
• Trace status of requests & see images via the browser or mobile.
• API integration for data transfer in image submission, Gate-in, Gate-out.
• Instantaneous submission of pictures by email.
• Retrieve container images via secure FTP channels.
• Integrate data with asset management system.

How does iPIX benefit container depot operators?

• Share live container images with the asset owners.
• Optical Character Recognition for easy data entry.
• Manage asset owner’s requests effortlessly.
• API integration with depot management system for image submission, Gate-in and Gate-out.
• Integration with the operating system and email in the same application.

Technical highlights:

• Approval workflow-based customer onboarding.
• User authentication with mobile and email OTP.
• Integration with user authentication systems such as AD, O365.
• Offline capability.
• Rich user interface.
• Role-based access to the system.
• Integration with 3rd party services.
• OCR to interpret container numbers and other information.
• Image segmentation to auto mark specific damages.
• Scalable architecture to suit changing requirements.

iPIX from iInterchange Systems is a cloud-based application that shares real-time images and data for asset owners and container depots to take apt decisions by tracking the progress of work.