Testing of Paper Roll In-Transit Damage Inspection System to Begin in May

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TAPPI/VoIPcare's pilot testing of the qMetrix for Transportation system, designed to help reduce in-transit damage to rolls of paper, will begin by the first of May. Participants in the six-month test of this system, designed in collaboration with members of TAPPI's Shipping, Receiving and Warehousing (SRW) subcommittee, include five railroads, seven mills, two printers and one publisher. Robin Mangold, principal at VoIPcare Technology, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA, notes that these companies represent a significant cross section of supply chain partners focused on the reduction of in-transit damage. Mangold adds that "we are confident additional forward-thinking companies will join the project as we move forward."

Detailed design reviews will be conducted with the pilot participants this month, and the final design document will be published soon afterwards. Development will start no later than the end of this month, and the pilot project will be officially kicked off at the TAPPI SRW meeting in Nashville, Tenn., USA, April 12 -14. Following the pilot study, a detailed review will be conducted by the participants.

The qMetrix system consists of a series of inspections on the railcars, paper that has been loaded and received, and any in-transit damage that may occur. Data gathered will be stored in a central location, allowing analysis of trends on both a company-wide and an industry-wide basis. The system can be deployed throughout the industry without investment in hardware. Adopting the system over multiple publishers, carriers, mills, and printers allows for standardization of processes that have been cumbersome and tedious up until now.

The system will provide notification of railcar damage to the railroads immediately after equipment inspections have been completed, allowing them to respond quickly to the timely information. The system will also send in-transit damage reports to the railroads, mills, and publishers the moment the damage inspections have been completed. All inspection data as well as uploaded pictures will be available to the parties for claim resolution.

VoIPcare points out that millions of dollars are being spent every year across the industry on in-transit paper damage. As this program moves forward, it adds, the amount of damage should be reduced through an increased awareness of protective measures that work more effectively, increased visibility of damaged cars, and improved accountability throughout the supply chain. Financial benefits from using the system include an overall reduction of damaged rolls, reduced manpower, and improved data metrics with the capability to identify patterns and areas for improvement.

More information about the qMetrix for Transportation system and the TAPPI SRW pilot project is available on VoIPcare's web site.