MONTREAL, Dec. 17, 2001 - Earlier this year, CN launched an enhanced Internet service on www.cn.ca for paper mills that originate traffic on CN. Users can click for estimated times of arrivals for shipments; explanations for significant changes in transit times; full intervention capabilities in the background to manage shipments that are off-schedule; and on-line service performance reports for CN and its rail partners.

  This new tool, called the Paper Platform, lets CN customers tightly manage their inventories and working capital, and reduces the need for safety stock. It also lets them reduce the need for last-minute, expensive emergency shipments, thanks to the technology’s greater visibility. Plus, its instant access to information will let users focus on generating supply chain value – instead of following up with others to get action on specific cars.



  The Paper Platform is powered by technology from IntelliTrans. The Atlanta-based firm provides logistics and supply chain management solutions to clients throughout North America and Europe, and has a strong track record serving the paper industry. This marks the first time that CN has developed a Web application with an outside supplier.

MARKET-DRIVEN
  "The marketplace identified this need," says Dan LeBlanc, CN’s director, Marketing, Forest Products. "With the industry focusing more on inventory management and just-in-time delivery, customers were asking more and more for complete visibility of their shipments."

  Customers – whether in mills or offices – could use the "My Shipments" function on CN’s Web site for tracking purposes. But the new Paper Platform offers even more, with no keying needed.

   "When you open the application, all your traffic is there. The information has been ‘pushed’ to the site," adds LeBlanc.

  Registered users just click on Paper Platform after visiting the eBusiness section of www.cn.ca They immediately see a screen with all of the attributes of their movements. If a car isn’t projected to meet the original transit time, CN’s customer service representatives will provide an update on the screen, and report on what is happening to get things back on schedule. If the car is being delayed on another rail carrier, IntelliTrans’ customer service representatives will report on the status. Customers can control and authorize who has access to the system’s secure information.

EASTBOUND ROLL-OUT
  CN is rolling out the Paper Platform to customers from west to east, on a trial basis. Response has been "extremely positive." "One customer said he wanted the coverage expanded to all of his product lines before we were even finished our presentation," says LeBlanc.

  Ultimately, the package, developed by CN and IntelliTrans, will let CN customers monitor and manage individual paper rolls or product items across multiple transportation modes and warehouses. This will link all participants in the supply chain, and provide a single point for inventory information – whether the inventory is in motion or at rest, whether the shipment originated on CN or another carrier, and whether it’s located in a railcar, truck, ship, port, terminal or warehouse.

  "This is a truly collaborative effort that will lead to advanced data flow between CN, IntelliTrans and our joint customer base," says Richard Gerstein, CEO of IntelliTrans. "CN is a company willing to deliver value to its customers."

Canadian National Railway Company, Autumn 2002