RCG and Transporeon win the Austrian Logistics Prize 2024

(Vienna, June 6, 2024) - Once a year, the Austrian Logistics Network Association (VNL) awards the Austrian Logistics Prize to the most innovative logistics project of the year. The ÖBB Rail Cargo Group (RCG), the second largest rail logistics provider in Europe, and Transporeon, the leading transport management platform, were able to convince the expert jury at the extensive hearing. During the course of the collaboration, a seamless integration of multimodal transport into the  platform was realised for the first time – an innovation that is unmatched by anyone in Europe. Representatives of both companies accepted the prize at the award ceremony on 5 June, 2024.

Simple concept, great effects
“We are the sustainable logistical backbone of the economy – for a Europe worth living in. And it was precisely this vision that lead to the joint project with Transporeon,” says RCG CEO Clemens Först. The goals of the European Green Deal can only be achieved if there is a significant modal shift. “And we can achieve this if we make it easy for customers to switch from road to rail. This is exactly where the project comes in. I am delighted that we were able to impress not only our customers with this innovative solution, but also the high-profile jury.” Christopher Keating, Senior Vice President of Trimble Transportation Europe adds:
“We are delighted to have been honoured, together with our partner, the Rail Cargo Group, with the Austrian Logistics Prize.” In the logistics sector, rail and road transport are often treated as separate entities. For many customers, rail transport is still a challenge despite numerous advantages. This is mainly due to the lack of transparency in data processing. With our new solution, we are the first in Europe to offer the necessary data for rail and multimodal transport. This will significantly support companies to realise their ambitions in terms of modal shift and reducing emissions.”

Industry demands integrated solution
The cooperation of the two companies is based on the industry’s desire for an integrated supply chain solution, as the ALICE white paper “Increasing the Use of Rail and Intermodal Transport in Europe” emphasises. At the same time, shippers complain about a lack of transparency and real-time information on multimodal and rail transport. To date, there is no plug and play approach for the real-time tracking of multimodal and rail transport within Europe. Status messages and information are only shared within the providers’ own systems.

The coupling of road and rail
The RCG and Transporeon have now established a solution that solves all these problems. Tracking information about multimodal and rail transports is displayed in the same user interface in which the shipper already receives real-time information about various road transports. Furthermore, manually entered status data is replaced by sensor-based real-time data. This not only enables customers to easily book road and rail transport on the Transporeon platform, but also provides innovative and easy access to sustainable logistics and efficient multimodal solutions without facing uncertainties or a lack of transparency. Whether by rail or truck, from the customer’s point of view, it always remains a fully integrated door-to-door logistics process from RCG based on the “One-Stop-Shop” principle. The first transports with well-known pilot customers such as Nestle and Vöslauer prove that the concept works.

A big step towards sustainability
The majority is transported on fixed routes by sustainable rail, while the first and last kilometres are covered flexibly by truck. Customers always have real-time data (position, status, ETA) and reliable calculations of greenhouse gas emissions at their fingertips. “Thanks to the symbiosis of road and rail on a single platform, the potential for a modal shift in Europe is enormous. Multimodality is the future – and together with Transporeon, we are shaping it,” says RCG CEO Clemens Först.

About Transporeon
At Transporeon, a Trimble Company, our mission is to bring transportation in sync with the world. We power the largest global freight network of more than 1,400 shippers and retailers and more than 150,000 carriers and logistics service providers. Every day they execute more than 110,000 transports on our platform and book more than 100,000 dock-appointments for loading and unloading. In the course of one year, roughly €55bn in freight is being processed on our platform. Our leading transportation management platform connects all actors along the supply chain. It facilitates collaboration between the different parties, helps to automate manual processes and provides valuable real-time insights. The modular Application Hubs solve specific logistics challenges and range from freight sourcing over transport execution and dock and yard management to freight audit and payment. Data hubs provide insights into logistics operations, market developments and carbon emissions, next to ensuring transparency in the supply chain through visibility. Our platform works across all geographies and all modes of transportation, empowering logistics teams to move, manage and monitor freight.

Transporeon is headquartered in Ulm, Germany, and maintains 18 offices around the globe with over 1,400 employees across 27 countries. For more information, visit: www.transporeon.com

Rail Cargo Group: freight transport by ÖBB
As the leading rail logistics specialist in Europe, we shape the industry. 365 days a year – 24 hours a day. Within Europe and all the way to Asia. With our presence in 18 countries, we connect people, businesses and markets – every mile of the way. Our 5,887 logistics professionals of 34 different nationalities enable us to get 448,000 trains safely to their destination every year – that's around 1,230 trains per day. We transport over 88 million net tonnes around the world every year with efficient end-to-end logistics solutions. Our rail share of 27.5% of the total freight volume in Austria (preliminary figure) makes us the front-runner in Europe. The operating holding company of the Rail Cargo Group is Rail Cargo Austria AG.