After several years of flat growth in the transport sector, railways need to revitalise productivity as a way to become more competitive and profitable. The 15th Annual UIC eBusiness conference highlighted innovations by transport companies who are employing advanced IT solutions as a key component in their revitalisation strategy. Case studies were presented on how the application of Information Technology has helped companies reduce their costs, enhance reliability and provide better service to their customers.
This customer focus was a clear theme throughout the conference, highlighting technologies and applications that make it easier to do business with the railways in a world dominated by mobile devices.
‘The customer wants it ‘i-Phone Easy’, stated Brooks Bentz of Accenture who gave the keynote address. He urged the railways to start investing in next generation technology to remain competitive. This message was also delivered by the conference Chairman, Mohamed Bhanji of ViaRail who stated that ‘Rail companies need to make the customer their first priority – and improve the overall travel experience.’
Selected case studies included the following:
- eRail Freight Initiative for Electronic Consignment Notes
- eFreight Airline initiative, with potential savings of $5 billion annually
- Renewing Traffic Control systems using Service Oriented Architecture
- Enhancing cash flow and controls through e-Billing and e-Settlement solutions
The 15th annual UIC eBusiness conference was held on 20-21 October in Paris where railway Business and IT professionals exchanged experience and learned about best-practice in IT Strategies. There were 60 participants, equally representing passenger, freight and infrastructure from 40 companies coming from 19 countries, worldwide.
The next eBusiness Conference will take place on 18-19 October 2012, at UIC HQ in Paris.
All presentations may be consulted at: http://uic.org/spip.php?article2830
