Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/201087
technology technology MAKING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS WORK FOR YOUR FLEET BY AARON HUFF TMW ramps up on business intelligence As times change, opportunities abound for company O ne day in late September, hundreds of transportation executives and IT managers entered the classrooms on the second floor of the Anaheim Convention Center in California. Earlier that morning on the third floor, Dave Wangler, TMW Systems president, had spoken to a sizeable audience of about 1,700 during the opening session of the company's annual user conference. If the migration from the third to the second floor is any indicator of where transportation technology is headed – and what tools are necessary to succeed – then business intelligence is where most people want to stake a claim. This year was the first time TMW's TransForum user conference was held on the West Coast. Wangler described in great detail how westward migration in the 19th century forever changed the course of American history. For most settlers, the motivation to move west was personal: They wanted a second chance to succeed, and in business it is no different. "For some folks, it may have been a third or fourth chance, but that desire to tear out pages someone else has written for you and to write your own story is something we feel just as urgently today," he said. "If you had a second chance – or a third or fourth chance – to deploy a new technology solution for your company, what would you do differently this time?" Transportation companies have many viable options today that were not ready for prime time five years ago, pointing to cloud computing, business intelligence and personal devices such as smartphones and tablets. Amid those changes, Wangler said TMW's vision is simple: "We want to provide a seamless flow of information from shipper to provider to driver, and back again – one that enables better decision-making, with the most appropriate means of visualization and interaction for every user." As the crowd migrated to dozens of classrooms on the second floor, "Transport Analytics Overview" quickly filled to capacity. In it, TMW explained how a line of business intelligence products can create a "single version of the truth." The product line consists of TMW Data Warehouse, TMW Data Warehouse Dave Wangler, TMW Systems president, addresses the audience during the opening session of the company's annual user conference. Explorer and TMW Transport Analytics Visual Solutions. Companies are inundated with data, but many lack the time and resources to find the answers they need in time to change results. With the prebuilt dashboards in Visual Solutions, fleet managers do not have to find data, said James Langley, NEW WORLD: Today's transportation TMW's vice president companies have options that were of business analytics. not available five years ago. Everything they need TMW'S VISION: The company wants to solve problems to provide seamless information from in critical areas like shipper to provider to driver. utilization is available TRIMBLE BOOST: A year after its within three mouse acquisition, TMW is leveraging opporclicks. With the Data tunities to deliver its products. Warehouse Explorer, users can create custom reports using a "report palette" to select content from across all TMW software platforms and applications. In August 2012, Trimble acquired and added TMW Systems to its Transportation and Logistics group. Wangler said after a full year of ownership, TMW is leveraging opportunities to deliver its products – such as the TMT maintenance management system – through Trimble's sales channels. By all indications, there is no shortage of opportunities for both Trimble and TMW to expand – just as there was never a shortage of pioneers willing to explore the West. AARON HUFF is Senior Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. E-mail ahuff@ccjmagazine.com or call (801) 754-4296. COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | NOVEMBER 2013 41