Nexxiot, the digital supply chain technology provider, has released a new multipurpose Vector sensor to monitor brakes, hatches, and doors on railcars. The sensor complements a growing portfolio of Nexxiot Asset Intelligence technology, which is used by leading transportation companies to remove uncertainty and risks associated with safety and cargo quality.

The demand for reliable rail cargo transportation increases as urbanization and resource insecurity rise. Rail companies are determined to provide safe, high-quality cargo delivery services to meet growing demand. Multiple damaging incidents in transportation over recent months are accelerating the need for innovation, which is changing how the industry operates.

The design of Vector sensor creates optionality for clients to address multiple use cases with one versatile architecture. With a service life of more than 15 years, the device measures the status in real time to provide data on hand brakes, access hatches, and train doors. It connects wirelessly to the Nexxiot Globehopper gateway using Bluetooth LE (BLE), and from here, the data is sent to the Nexxiot Connect Intelligent Cloud for processing and analysis. Clients can easily access data and enhance decision-making capabilities and responses.

Until now, the only way to monitor railcar brake status, hatch opening or closing events, and door usage was to conduct physical inspections and manual reporting. With automated data collection, essential safety-related checks, and component condition monitoring, possible future points of failure are identified as they occur.

“Both rail operators and cargo owners benefit from this innovation. With increased attention on safety, compliance, and resource security, Vector sensor offers multiple stakeholders the opportunity to monitor processes and demonstrate to their clients that they take maximum care when it comes to safety and cargo quality,” said Paul Wielsch, Nexxiot CTO.

Through close collaboration with industry leaders, clients, and partners, Nexxiot co-creates technical innovations to solve long-standing industry problems. Nexxiot is currently digitalizing entire fleets of shipping containers and railcars with zero-maintenance IoT gateways. Now clients benefit from real-time asset intelligence across the entire cargo journey.