Welcome esteemed reader! From January 20th to February 5th we shall be gradually revealing the participants to the PortXL 2020 Rotterdam Selection Days. Each article will feature 7 of these innovative start-ups & scale-ups and what solutions are they bringing to the table. The companies are arranged in no particular order.
Will the industry experts and our corporate partners select them? We will all find out on February 12th – stay tuned!
Remember that if you are part of our ecosystem or wish to be, you can attend the event and contribute in evaluating the start-ups! Get in touch with us via mail and we’ll take care of the rest.
Spanish start-up eYard is here to optimize your container placement. With their proprietary algorithm they greatly reduce the number of unproductive moves in the terminal, lowering the cost for the operator and improving overall efficiency. Thanks to the algorithm the top management of the yard has access to smart reporting which brings overall operations visibility and helps make better decisions.
The “Blockchain Belgians” have been on PortXL’s radar for quite a while and were even involved in the PortXL Antwerp’s inaugural scouting process in 2018, ultimately not being selected. Two years later, they are back – this time in Rotterdam – on a mission to enter the program. Will their blockchain-enabled logistics and transport solutions convince the partners on this occasion?
Hefring is developing an intelligent and condition-adaptable speed and wave impact guidance system for boats, which is supported by a user-friendly fleet management software with real-time monitoring and detailed trip insights and reports. Hailing from the remote island of Iceland, two of the three founders have boat-building backgrounds and are used to navigating rough waters. Key skill to anyone that sails the seven seas is a cool head, which the Icelanders will require during the pitch and discussions on February 12th.
Further west from Iceland, following the route of the vikings, we land in North America and head to the lone star state of Texas. There, scale-up Water Lens is revolutionizing the $10B water testing industry with their system for real-time chemical analysis of water and other fluids. Their solution works on location and is relevant for industries that use large amounts of water (e.g., oil and gas, agriculture, power generation, coal mining, and food processing).
Back to the heart of Europe, Germans Evertracker are here to provide full predictability and visibility along your entire global supply chain with almost one click. Hailing from Hamburg, they developed the first smart and neural control tower for and with leading corporations, picking up some impressive partner companies on the way.
On the topic of tracking, British-based Albora are developing next-gen geolocation technologies for Industrial IoT and Logistics Applications (asset tracking and management). In the future an advanced version of their solution will be used for Autonomous Navigation (connected autonomous cars, drones, etc). Among others, they received funding from theEuropean Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. While Elon Musk has gracefully declined our invitation to participate at the event, he would do well to keep an eye out for potential future cooperation.
To finish off the article, we veer close to home with the Dutch scale-up AAApropulsion, based on a town along the river Waal, which eventually reaches Rotterdam. Aside from being at the top of the phonebook (which begs the question, do those still exist?), they are answering the maritime industry’s call for reductions in fuel consumption, achieving that through equipment which increases propulsion efficiency, lowers maintenance costs and monitors exhaust emissions. Besides their range of maneuvering equipment the main focus is the patented A-pod, a 360-degrees steerable electric podded propulsion. Soon available besides a single propeller unit in a double contra rotating propeller execution.
Let’s find out together at Selection Days on February 12th!
Stay tuned for the next episodes – make sure you follow our LinkedIn to catch them fresh and our Instagram for exclusive sneak peeks.
