Creating the best logistics route at the lowest possible cost and time — is not an easy task. At the same time, quality and delivery terms are becoming increasingly demanding. Companies' logistics departments need to look for new ways of transportation and be prepared to adopt innovative approaches. The solution could be the use of uST technology.
The challenge of cargo transportation
Several factors complicate the organization of cargo transportation:
- Often the companies are forced to refuse to transport materials, equipment, resources because of seasonal lack of good roads, or shift delivery times because of poor road conditions.
- The work of industrial workshops can come to a halt because of late delivery of parts required for the repair or adjustment of machines or special machinery. Absence of new spare parts, tools and raw materials leads to downtime and financial losses.
- Many of the extraction companies' facilities are located in low temperatures areas – transportation has to be organized to cope with difficult weather and climatic conditions. In remote regions, supply disruptions due to bad weather or natural disasters are not uncommon.
A new phase in the development of the cargo transport field
Resistant to extreme temperatures, the uST track structure can be used effectively even in arctic conditions. The solution is suitable for transport links in hard-to-reach areas with difficult terrain and where mining operations take place.
The transport and infrastructure complexes can link major logistics hubs for rapid delivery of all types of cargo: bulk, piece and liquid cargo. In the case of dangerous goods, uST transport offers unprecedented reliability due to its design features and second-tier traffic (without congestion or accidental obstacles).
Thus, the annual capacity of the uST complexes is up to 100 million tonnes. The speed of unmanned electric vehicles on steel wheels is up to 150 km/h, and the service life of the track structure before overhaul - from 50 years.
Compared to conventional roads, the route for uST transport takes a shorter path. This is possible due to the specific nature of the rail-string flyover, which is more adaptable to the landscape. An automated control system is deployed during the cargo transportation for monitoring purposes.
The smooth-running steel-wheeled unmanned electric vehicles are equipped with an anti-rollover system that ensures stability and prevents vertical detachment from the rail and tipping over. The uST routes do not need de-icing salt treatment and cargo can be transported in all weathers: fog, blizzard, downpour and storm.