Rail tank car handling is a central process in terminal operations — safety-relevant and embedded in daily routines.
At EVOS Hamburg, this workflow is now being reviewed with a clear goal: to explore how digital tools can make day-to-day work easier and more connected.
While familiar and dependable, paper-based methods can make it harder to access information quickly or coordinate across teams. Digital support offers an opportunity to bring more clarity and consistency into the process, one step at a time.
Together, EVOS and OpenTAS conducted a field test to explore how digital tools could support rail tank car handling, from entry checks through to departure. The focus was on translating the process into a clearer, guided format that fits the way teams already work, not on changing what works well.
A short insight into the collaboration and field impressions can be found here: LinkedIn – UX Meets Reality: OpenTAS and EVOS Test KWG Handheld Prototype On-Site
What made this field test valuable was not only the outcome, but the process itself. Testing in a live terminal environment created space for open feedback, shared observations, and small but meaningful adjustments, both on the technical and procedural level.
It also highlighted the importance of context: A digital solution gains relevance only when it responds to real working condition, including time pressure, environmental factors, and the rhythm of the team.
The prototype tested at EVOS Hamburg is not a final solution — and that is by design. It is part of a broader, iterative approach to digitalization: one that values progress over perfection, and engagement over assumptions.
This field test marks a first step toward something more scalable, and more grounded in reality than any roadmap alone could provide. Further input, further refinement, and further collaboration will shape what comes next.
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