Savi’s SmartChain Asset Management Software Deployed to Monitor Chemical Tank Rail Cars

Savi’s SmartChain Asset Management software is being utilized by The Dow Chemical Company’s Toxic Inhalation Hazard (TIH) rail tank car fleet to automatically monitor the location and security status of the hazardous materials they transport.

The Dow Railcar Shipment Visibility solution incorporates GPS, satellite communication systems and sensors affixed to tank cars, enabling Dow to “ping” on demand or receive automated alerts of possible security breaches, unsafe temperatures and high impacts to tank cars. Geo-fencing capabilities that leverage satellite images enable identification of the nearest first responder in the case of an emergency or security threat.

“Dow places the highest priority on safe production and transportation of hazardous materials, and through this best-practices project with Savi we are working aggressively to reduce risk and improve performance,” said David Kepler, executive vice president, chief sustainability officer and chief information officer of The Dow Chemical Company. “The chemical industry should set the highest standards with advanced technology solutions like this to address concerns and ensure safe passage of chemicals in-transit or at rest.”

The integrated solution encompasses a number of components. First, a variety of sensors can be affixed to the railcars to detect unauthorized opening of the dome, unsafe temperatures inside the tanks, impacts and chemical odors. Second, GPS devices placed on the tank cars communicate the sensor data and their location to satellite or cellular communication systems. Third, all wireless data is transmitted to the feature-rich Savi SmartChain Asset Management Application, which is software that transforms the data into useful information to better manage the operations and security of the rail tank cars.

Savi Technology, www.savi.com