Euro-log, the joint French-German specialised network services company for the transport sector, has officially launched part of its service offering. Initially, the company, which is a subsidiary of the Eucom joint venture of France Telecom and Deutsche Bundespost Telekom with Digital Equipment Corp, Koninklijke PTT Telecom Nederland BV and Belgacom, is offering two services – Transpo-Net and Transpo-Track – says a Eurolog spokeswoman. We’re already taking customers in Germany and France; we already have a few, plus some pilot projects. In the Netherlands we just opened an office, she said. Transpo-Express and Transpo-Link are to be launched at a later, unspecified, date. Transpo-Net is an Electronic Data Interchange clearing service that enables the in-house systems of trading partners to transfer both structured and standardised, and unstructured data. Transpo-Net, which supports both EDIFACT and in-house message standards, offers access services, basic EDI service and value-added EDI services. The access service enables the exchange of messages and status information via the Transpo-Net X.400 server via direct connections (switched or leased line) or via public or private networks. Direct access facilities are available for both interactive mode – asynchronous via the public switched telephone network, synchronous X25) or file transfer mode – bisync 3780. Among the file transfer protocols supported are Kermit, X-modem, Y-modem and Z-modem.
system integrator
Basic EDI service includes interchange management, which processes and delivers messages of different types and to different destinations; partner relation management, which provides a trading relation file that contains all the information necessary (message type, message syntax of sender or receiver) to exchange messages between partners; user profile management, a file of administrative and technical data on each user that is checked against the user identification number and password as part of the log-on procedure; message distribution, which provides either passive delivery, where it is retrieved by the recipient, or active delivery to the recipient’s in-house system; message status reports, which enable senders and receivers to check the status of message exchange and treatment; history reports, which provide statistical and historical information concerning messages exchanged between trading partners; and data storage, where messages are kept on magnetic tape for a period specified by the user. Transpo-Net’s value-added EDI service includes: message conversion, which converts message syntax between sender and receiver where necessary; message translation, which translates messages into a standard – EDIFACT – syntax if the sender or receiver’s in-house system is not equipped to do so; and fax delivery of EDI messages. Transpo-Track is a shipment tracking system that comprises office workstations linked to: the Euro-log data center in Germany; mobile on-board computers with integrated scanners; warehouse workstations used in combination with bar-code scanners; the Groupe Speciale Mobile communication (GSM) as the infrastructure for message transmission to and from the truck; and a data communications network. A spokeswoman said Euro-log is not reselling hardware since we’re just getting started this year, but that it will recommend companies that can provide the appropriate equipment. Shareholder DEC is one of the companies Euro-log recommends, she said, but not the only one. We’re still investigating and testing hardware for its compatibility with the Euro-log system, she added. If the customer already has the necessary hardware, Euro-log’s staff acts as a system integrator to make sure it works together and with the Euro-log system, the spokeswoman said. – Marsha Johnston
