ransport system for container operation – the automated guided vehicle (AGV). AGVs were (and are still) used for horizontal transport at quayside and automated stacking cranes (ASCs) for vertical transport tasks in the container stacking yard. The original AGVs moved along a pre-determined fixed path such as rails or a guidance system built into the ground. This is the first and oldest automated method in which the path uses wire, tape, or transponders in the ground or pavement. An AGV will sense its location along the path and follow it according to instructions received from a central traffic controller. Usually, a radio message or in some cases infra-red communication is used to pass messages to the AGV from a traffic controller.  Unlike fixed path AGVs, their free path counterparts, also used in the port of Rotterdam, are much less restricted in their movements, which allow them to follow a much shorter path from their current position to their destination.

In principle, AGVs should be able to drive in any direction. However, the free path AGVs used in the port of Rotterdam must still follow a path. The challenge is in installing, maintaining and changing the physical path based design; hence free-ranging AGV guidance technology is gaining interest. This method uses either inertial navigation technology combined with odometry to control direction speed and positioning, or the more common method is to use a system of mirrors and lasers that are continuously triangulating the vehicles position. This however comes at a price; it requires a more complex built-in navigation system to guide the AGV. However, there are companies such as Danaher Motion that have already provided such technology for nearly 13,000 AGVs. Among the onboard systems required for this are propulsion and steering mechanisms. In addition the AGV requires access to a traffic management system that handles the local path control so as to avoid “dead-lock” and possible collisions and a communication system which allows the AGVs to stay in contact with a central control system.

Cassette AGV

Development in Cassette AGV (C-AGV) technology in terminals is based on the IPSI™ AGV, part of the European Unions’ IPSI™ project. These AGVs have been designed to transport containers through the use of an additional buffer in between: cassettes. These cassette AGVs (C-AGVs) have been designed specifically to transport cassettes with containers on them. Each cassette can carry up to two 40ft or four 20ft containers. This allows cranes to continue loading/unloading even when there is no C-AGV available, as long as enough waiting cassettes are present in the buffer area. A decoupling of horizontal and vertical transport processes therefore becomes possible representing a vital key to the system’s cargo handling efficiency. The C-AGVs used in this paper are of the newest generation providing a zero-emission all-electric solution. The new vehicles have a load capacity of 61 tonnes, and can carry cassettes with double-stacked 40-foot containers or two 20-foot containers in a single tier. Major improvements to maneuverability are made by incorporating individual electrically driven and steered bogie axles which enable the C-AGVs to be moved in any direction and turn through 360 degrees as seen in Figure 1. This increases the versatility and flexibility of the C-AGV while minimising congestion at the quayside. The C-AGV can be steered conventionally or ‘crab’ diagonally, or it can move completely transversally. New cassette designs, presented in Figure 2, enable the C-AGV to enter and exit both transversally and longitudinally, i.e. their smaller size allows them to move below the cassette in between its legs at each end, thus eliminating the need for a lengthy line-up operation.

Figure 1. C-AGV turning 90 degrees in the direction of a loaded cassette.

Figure 2. C-AGV traveling under a cassette either from the ends or the sides.

The contactless energy transfer technology contains ground-based and vehicle-based segments. The two key components to the ground-based system are the power electronics element and coils, which enables vehicles such as the C-AGV to receive energy both under the quay crane and the yard cranes areas. In addition to the ground-based system, the vehicle-based system employs the same technology and uses super capacitors to store the energy, which is then used by electric wheel motors. With a full load a C-AGV can travel around 600m, depending on its load, after which the capacitor needs to be recharged. The use of capacitors instead of batteries allows for a lighter C-AGV and even though its range on a single load is limited, the capacitor can be – unlike a battery – recharged within 20 seconds. This generation of C-AGVs , as well as being much lighter, is also slightly smaller. This means they are now smaller then the cassettes they carry. The cassettes have therefore been redesigned so that the C-AGVs can now move below them sideways to pick them up whereas the previous generations of C-AGVs had to line up with the cassette and pick them up along their length axis.

Operations at an ACT

Quay crane operations in our yard layout, illustrated in Figure 3 depicts the operations being performed at the back side of the crane. In this new concept all operations are performed either between the gauge of quay crane or at the back sides of the crane, thus decreasing the distance C-AGVs have to travel, while on the other hand, increasing the distance through which the crane has to transport the containers. The space that becomes available below the cranes will be used to store the ship’s hatch covers. Additionally this means that the automated area of the yard can be entirely isolated from areas of human activity thus decreasing the risk of unwanted interference.

Figure 3. Illustration of C-AGVs driving under the cassettes at  either the ends or transversally from the sides of the cassettes.

In our yard crane operations layout we have also incorporated a buffer system. Instead of having a buffer with room for four to eight cassettes next to one another, a dual layer approach has been chosen with four 2-deep cassette lanes in which the second row can be reached through two highways leading into the second layer of the buffer, illustrated in Figure 4. The layout in Figure 4 provides eight places reserved for cassettes using the same width with a single layer that six spaces would normally occupy. This system is also easily expandable in depth: by adding an additional layer, the buffer capacity is increased by another four places. The downside of this approach is that for each extra buffer layer, one layer of storage space in the yard would be sacrificed.

Figure 4. The transfer points at the stacking crane and layout

C-AGVs Operations

There are several “highways” behind the quay crane; five are cassette “highways” on which cassettes wait for containers to be transported to the yard buffer areas and three are highways which can be used by C-AGVs, which are free-ranging and not bound to tracks, so all locations in the cassette lanes are at all times reachable. As these highways are only wide enough for one C-AGV to fit in them, they are single-directional. Points are provided in the highway and cassette lanes where C-AGVs can leave them in order to proceed to the yard area. This will usually be done on locations where there is more room between two successive cranes.

As described earlier, the C-AGVs used in this paper are of a new design using an electric propulsion system enabling them to virtually turn around their axis. These C-AGVs are not modeled to be fixed-path instead they are free-ranging. The independently turning wheels also mean they can go from moving forward or backwards to moving sideways by turning the wheels while standing stationary. However the reason this has been made possible is due to the electric engines, but they do add an important additional constraint to the traffic management and terminal design; the capacitor fuell
ing the engines needs to be recharged every 500m to 1000m, depending on the C-AGVs load. For this purpose there are specific recharge points built into the road deck on strategic points such as the hand-over area between C-AGVs and quayside cranes as well as C-AGVs and stacking cranes. When C-AGVs pass above them they can recharge their capacitors to 100% in approximately fifteen seconds, depending on the status of the capacitor before recharging is started.

Traffic Management

The Traffic Management System (TMS) controls the flow of traffic throughout the yard area. Most of the TMS is implemented in the C-AGVs themselves. The sensors installed on the C-AGVs will avoid collisions and handle the flow in the free flow areas as well as in the highways and cassette lanes. Moreover, the centralised TMS especially serves to reserve certain cassette places in the buffer areas for specific C-AGVs and avoids deadlocks by granting vehicle priorities. Additionally, the routing of C-AGVs is covered by the centralised TMS, i.e. if C-AGVs are allocated by a job the related instance either organises necessary transport activities or determines the particular traveling path.

From the various simulations and studies conducted by companies and industry partners, the number of vehicles needed, the retail costs and fuel or energy consumption have been placed into a spreadsheet calculation to compare the variable cost of moving a container. The spreadsheet is presented in Table 1 and indicates that, when comparing the automated systems that are available in the market, the decoupling of the AGVs and Auto Shuttle Carriers increases the productivity levels of the vehicles. The decoupling of the containers on both the land-side and marine-side is achieved by the C-AGVs and the Auto Shuttle Carriers. The Lift-AGV is able to decouple at only the land-side with the use of steel racks that are placed into the ground. As seen from the table, the simulation results for AGVs shows that more units are required to keep the quay crane from not being idle in order to handle the 100,000 containers. From a cost comparison, the additional units which are less in cost than other automated systems translate into a higher cost for moving a container. The investment costs that are used stem from the purchase price of the vehicle without navigation. Of course the need for a navigation system is essential and can boost the investment cost to over Euros 100,000 depending on the type of navigation system employed.

In summary, there have been evolutionary changes in the container terminal industry that are influenced by many factors, such as higher volumes, increasing demands for environmentally friendly equipment and lower costs. Automation is seen by many industry experts as offering possible solutions to their port plans or operational demands. Depending on the terminal operator’s objectives and the numerous variables, which are difficult to list and model in a spreadsheet, we suggest that each of the listed automated systems in Table 1 can be used successfully in container terminal operations. The variable cost per container move is just one key performance indicator (KPI) that should be considered amongst a basket of KPIs.

No wonder stacker-reclaimer sales are understandably not daily occurrences. Add into the equation the global economic meltdown from late in 2008 until early 2010 and there’s every reason for contract successes to have been even fewer than in the happier times of the good old days of 2007. The big machines are complex and the process from order to commissioning can take two years or more. Global competition is always hot among the major players including Sandvik, Metso, Tenova TAKRAF, ThyssenKrupp Fordertechnik, FAM (Forderanlagen Magdeburg), and FL Smidth, with all hungry and vying for new work. Last year, some were forced by circumstance to cut back production and let employees go in countries such as Finland, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom as the firms concentrated on market segments that still had life. Some reported that potential clients kept projects involving stacker-reclaimers on life support or ordered time-consuming new engineering studies awaiting the turnaround in economic fortunes and a resumption of business as normal once again.

Recovery looms
All of the angst may change as signs of recovery – regardless of the recent economic turmoil in Greece and a few other countries – are more positive today than in recent months and in the steel industry, for example, business could be back to 2007 levels by the end of the year, according to Gianluigi Nova, CEO of Tenova, one of the leading suppliers for the mining and bulk handling industries in its relationship with TAKRAF, which brought Italian and German interests under the same Techint Group umbrella. Over in Finland at Metso, President & CEO Jorma Eloranta, notes a 1st Quarter recovery by most markets and says key customer industries are continuing to improve. “Since our customers are regaining their confidence the demand for new capital equipment and project business has also improved. Price competition in the markets seems to be easing up as the trading environment is getting stronger.” At FAM in Germany, Deputy Director of Sales, Michael Kutza, says 2010 should be a “more normal year” much like the pre-economic crisis times. “Our 2010 is looking better and better . . . it’s happening slowly, but some projects are restarting again around the world.” That follows a dismal 2009 in North America, at least, with “lots of talk, a lot of budget pricing, but no orders,” according to one of FAM USA’s representatives in the field. And for Sandvik of Sweden’s North American operations, the outlook is also more bullish than a year ago agrees Milan Sjaus, General Manager Projects & Systems in USA & Canada. “There are quite a few projects and the activity level is very, very high, particularly in iron ore and nickel.”

Contract success
Among those willing to talk about contract successes, Sandvik achieved substantial completion in the 1st Quarter with a bucket wheel stacker-reclaimer at Westshore Terminals, Canada’s major coal export terminal in Delta, B.C. and is now in further reliability trials before handover. The 60- meter boom stacker-reclaimer – the fourth on Westshore’s site – is required to perform at stacker and reclaim rates up to 7,000tph. The new stacker-reclaimer was the final piece in a three-year $49 million equipment upgrade at Westshore, which took annual capacity from 24 million tonnes to 29mt. Currently, as world demand for steelmaking coal rises, Westshore – the busiest coal export terminal in all of North and South America – is already running near or at its new capacity. In another move, Westshore is converting its three older stacker-reclaimers, an IHI (Japan) and two Stephens-Adamson (Canada) models to automatic operation later this year. Meanwhile, Sandvik finished erecting another stacker-reclaimer for Consolidated Thompson for iron ore handling at Point Noire in the Port of Sept-Iles in Quebec and expects to be in commissioning by the end of May. Consolidated has built a railway to the port and expects to handle up to 16 million tonnes of iron ore a year once operations begin. Sandvik’s Sjaus says there could be promising opportunities at Greenfield terminals that are planned for potash shipments on the west coast and there’s another Gateway Pacific coal terminal project being considered at Cherry Point just south of the Canadian border. Ridley Terminals in the Port of Prince Rupert is also considering expansion and that could mean another stacker-reclaimer. Projects in Chile (copper handling) and Colombia (Xstrata Coal’s Prodeco thermal coal operation where a consortium of coal companies are building Puerto Nuevo, a new, multi-user, direct ship-loading port facility at Cienaga) also hold promise of future work. As well, Sandvik is busy refurbishing and upgrading older stacker-reclaimers in projects on both coasts of North America.

Picking up
Metso Vice President of Global Sales, Dave Hicken, who is based in the Finnish firm’s UK office in Rugby, says the past year of recession was not as bad as first thought and business is starting to pick up again, particularly on the bulk materials side and especially for one of Metso’s specialties, rail car dumpers. As for stacker-reclaimers Metso is busy in India with numerous projects covering  a wide variety of stacker/ scraper/ circular and other stockyard equipment largely for use with coal or cement. In one contract for BGR Energy Systems Ltd, Metso provided two bucketwheel stacker-reclaimers for use with coal. Elsewhere Metso reports new opportunities in Asia and is in the final throes of handover for a new stacker-reclaimer at South Africa’s premier coal export port, Richards Bay. In that terminal expansion project which took capacity to 91mtpy, all new stockyard equipment purchased originated from firms operating under the Metso umbrella, making it a major contract success. The 60 meter boom stacker-reclaimer installed at Richards Bay is capable of 6,000tph in both stacking and reclaim. Like most new stacker-reclaimers these days, the Metso model is fully automatic, although it will likely be operator run initially. Hicken says Metso is also active in Brazil but is pursuing the stacker-reclaimer side of its business selectively because of the buildup in work in other areas of its bulk handling expertise. “There appear to be plenty of other opportunities, projects where we consume less of our resources and can get a better return.”

Power plants
For FAM and Deputy Sales Director Kutza, the recession still saw contract successes in Chile (copper) and Mozambique (magnetite). But, it was the power plant business in Germany that brought most of the excitement with two bucket wheel stacker-reclaimers for the busy Port of Wilhelmshaven and work at another coal import terminal. And a scraper-reclaimer and a separate stacker were also provided to the Mannheim power plant. Kutza says other hot spots in an improving market include South Africa, Asia (Indonesia), and among the former satellites of the Soviet Union. FAM has specialised in providing complete coal handling systems for power plants from stockyard equipment to silos, as well as stacker-reclaimers and the like. And in the cement business, FL Smidth (through Kovako Materials Handling) has commissioned some of the world’s largest stacker-reclaimers, matching kiln throughputs of up to 11,000 tonnes per day with storage capacities of 5,400tph and reclaim capacities of 1,600tph.

Innovations
Stacker-reclaimers have been through cosmetic improvements over the past few years but are largely as they were in appearance 25 years ago. The difference comes in innovative changes, such as light-weight bucket wheel design (ThyssenKrupp), and the move to fully automatic operation, which nearly all now offer. Sandvik offers automation and condition monitoring hand-in-hand which allows pre-emptive, preventative maintenance, according to Sjaus. While there have been no major design breakthroughs in recent years, the Swedish company is aware of the continuing need to protect the environment and has had advances in optimising power use and limiting dust emissions on its stacke
r-reclaimers. For its part, Metso has been incorporating wider use of hydraulic bucket wheel drives rather than electrical drives. The hydraulic drives are proving more efficient says global sales VP Hicken, and are proving more forgiving in tough stockpile situations, especially when the bucket wheel becomes swamped.

Let me run this past you – you are in the middle of a recession, projects are being put on hold, cargo throughput figures are down – which means revenue is down, the company is ‘tightening its belt’ and you want to invest in a new or updated terminal  operation system (TOS)? Yes, according to many operators now is the time to update or invest in a new TOS. As volumes and revenues at many terminals have decreased, the pressure to become more efficient and cost-effective has increased.  Implementing the right technology solutions now will help them achieve these goals, therefore many operators don’t see the cost of IT as an expense – they see it as an investment. The distraction of staff and disruption to the terminal operations that often occur during systems implementations can be significantly mitigated during low volume periods. As the economy looks towards recovery, terminals want to be prepared to handle increased volumes by having new systems in place.

Investment
When researching this subject for our 2009 feature we discovered that there were different levels of service packages with some software companies offering an ‘all inclusive’ package while others offer a monthly fee for upgrades and maintenance. In combination with the Total Cost of Ownership we looked at the market as a whole. But there was one company that commented on “our total cost of ownership” question. “In order to make sure that we all talk about the same thing, it is necessary to repeat the definition of TCO: the total of direct capital investment in hardware and software plus indirect costs of installation, training, repairs, downtime, technical support and upgrading,” said Andreas Reinhard, CEO of Greenwave. “I noted during all my years in the market that this is not necessarily understood by all to the full extent. Therefore the comparison of TOS systems/prices is often more challenging than it seems at first sight.” Based on this information we contacted some of the software companies and we found that while were quite open with their costing others were not so forthcoming due to competition. Indian-based CMC is for example charging around 20 to 22% of the total project cost for their maintenance package. While Germany-based Inform applied their company policy of confidentiality for their pricing of the Terminalstar product. Periodic upgrades of the Terminalstar including all product enhancements may be part of the individual maintenance and support contract, while the company also offer a 24/7 technical support. Others like Greenwave don’t offer a special maintenance package since their monthly subscription fee per module automatically includes continuous upgrades, corrections and improvements. “With this subscription our customers experience at all times the latest version of their product – the T3,” said Reinhard. “When choosing the T3 application the terminal operator does not have to worry about TCO. T3 is delivered as a Service (SaaS) – you order today and work tomorrow on your existing PCs with your existing broadband connection to the internet,” Reinhard added. US-based RMI states that their annual maintenance fees for their OASIS product are in line with software industry averages. Cost varies based on volume, size and the number of terminals. The OASIS package provides for a tailor-made annual maintenance investment.  Fellow American company Tideworks Technology limits the total cost of ownership of their terminal operating system (TOS) as this is vital to the success of their customers and their business. Their business model is built around creating the greatest overall value and return on investment for their customers. A few examples of how they achieve this include the licensing of their software; the customer receives all of the features and functionality contained in the application. “We believe whether or not a customer decides to use features contained in the software should be an operational decision, not a financial one,” said a company spokesperson. As part of their maintenance and support programme, they provide all software upgrades at no additional charge, including new system features and functionality.

State of the market
According to Tideworks Technology they have not seen any cancellations or postponements of projects. As previously stated In fact, they point out that many operators are finding now is the ideal time to focus on implementing new technology. RMI reports to have not sold any new terminals in 2009, although their existing customers continued to invest in product enhancements and new projects for existing terminals including include road ability compliance and wide-span crane integration. For CMC it was a difficult year with major investments like infrastructure and IT being placed on hold by the operators. CMC expects that this year will be more promising as [future] customers are planning to invest in IT projects or are simply keen to upgrade their existing systems.  Greenwave acknowledged that 2009 was a difficult year but felt that towards the end of the year there was more interest for their products. The company signed a major contract with a Swedish logistics company. The agreement includes five container terminals along the Norwegian Coast, including the second largest terminal in Larvik. This contract has already spread positive signals to other potential customers. Greenwave is quite confident that they can further build on their success in 2010 and already three major container and multi-terminal operators have expressed their intention to work towards an agreement. The company expects to have another five additional terminal customers by the end of 2010.

CMC
CMC, part of the Tata conglomerate, provides several ports and cargo products including their MACH, CALM, ROAM, WARM products and claim that all are proven around the world with better levels of service, support and quality. “We compete with the global players and provide world-class solutions at competitive prices,” stated the company in response to our questions. “We have carved a niche in the market with the above products, and we enjoy a high reputation in the industry for our trust-worthiness and prestige the brand-TATA carries.” CMC has been focusing on bringing the best product to the market at a lower cost, and recently introduced their Global Invoicing Payment System (GIPS) to their product line, which – according to the company – is highly affordable in comparison to the other COTS solutions in the market. The company has various projects that it is currently working on including a cargo logistics management system for a major Government port in South India, a similar system for the largest private terminal operator at Mundra Port. It is also working on two warehouse management systems, one for India’s leading provider of integrated multi-modal solutions for the logistics of bulk and containerised cargo (with 3 locations in India) and one for the largest supplier of plywood and decorative veneers in the Indian plywood market. It is also involved in around 10 maintenance projects.

Esoware
Many small and startup terminals, confronted with huge investments, are struggling to find a TOS, geared to their requirements and in particular, their budget. Esoware Srl in Italy is the distributor for the range of Copas software products for terminals and recently opened an office in Rotterdam, the Netherlands managed by Frans Jol, who has extensive experience in the terminal business.  In 2005, Copas purchased the software from Esoware whilst re-developing the system using modern tools, terminal ICT experience and a lot of creativity. Furthermore new modules were developed and integrated. Copas decided to design their products with the needs of smaller terminals in mind, whilst they also understood the need of any terminal, small or large, to be able to use a comprehensive and complete set of functions, from graphical planning systems to advanced EDI-systems.  Today, this affordable software, known by the name of COPAS TOS, has been installed successfully on more
than 10 “wet” and “dry” terminals throughout Europe.  The main module, STEP2, can be used on its own and covers all multimodal activities, from ocean vessel and feeder vessel to barges, rail and truck activities. The GATE WIZARD offers full functionality for the truck gate operator, whilst the “wizard” setup ensures simple and intuitive use of advanced techniques, offering a logical workflow and avoiding mistakes or omissions. Additional modules include YARD, a graphical yard planning and monitoring tool, offering an easy way of creating a graphical layout of the terminal, inspecting yard areas, planning areas for certain types of containers, customers, vessels, etc. The software can also be used to create housekeeping moves and for a variety of other functions. EDISTEP is a fully automatic EDI translator and transmitter, capable of handling all possible EDI-messaging, including the well known standard UN/Edifact container messages but also non-standard formats in various layouts can be handled. PLANMASTER, is a full function graphical vessel planning tool, offering advanced tools for planning of containers, taking into consideration the characteristics of the vessel, like for example the stack heights and maximum weights as well as the full stability of the vessel.  Other modules are available, including RAILS, a graphical rail planning system, TIS, a terminal invoicing system and several other modules covering functions for terminal access control, automatic gate, radio data, customs formalities, integration with local port community systems, etcetera. All modules are fully integrated.

Greenwave
Greenwave has designed the T3 – Terminal Transaction Tool for terminal operators working at small to mid-sized terminals but T3 can be re-configured to be used at large terminals as well. The system can be enhanced by additional comprehensible and fully embedded modules. The most popular modules are the BookingAdministration and Wireless Module. The BookingAdministration module supports the process from the reservation of empty boxes straight to the final move when the container leaves the terminal, regardless of how many process steps that are involved in the process. The Wireless Module facilitates the entry, administration and control of tasks between the different cargo handling equipment operating on the terminal, either working on mobile or fixed devices. It is the “absolute key” to reducing turnaround times, reduce unnecessary lifts (lower equipment operations and maintenance costs), improve space utilisation and create a more focused and undisturbed working environment. The company recently introduced the fully integrated GateBooking-ISPS, ACMS-Access Card Management System and graphical Yard Planning modules. The GateBooking module enables communication between trucks and gate by means of SMS. Information about containers to be picked at the terminal is sent directly to the truck drivers including the specification of cargo type, size etc. Available drivers of the predefined trucking company can book cargo via SMS and the T3 will then allocate the cargo to the truck which is closest either in time or distance. The ACMS supports the administration of ISPS certified equipment and personnel for multiple terminals without geographical constraints. The module works ‘hand-in-hand’ with the GateBooking module. Their existing Yard Planning module has completely changed and is now fully graphical. All activities on the yard can be handled with user-friendly ‘drag-and-drop’ functionalities. The module allows the user to change individual background views which are connected to the real geo-coordinates. This allows also the use of GPS device driven positioning of either containers or moving cargo handling equipment. According to Reinhard, system integration has in general two main advantages for the terminal/depot operator, lower process costs and building stronger business relations. “We expect this trend to continue and even gain in strength over the next few years,” he added. The company has been focusing on the “forgotten” terminals while their competitors focused on the much larger terminals. With a strong customer base the company understands the needs of the operators and is now ready to service the larger terminals.

Inform
Terminalstar unifies the experience of Inform and HPC in the area of state-of-the-art software solutions and port business. As a TOS it is designed for real time control of all container terminal processes. Due to its flexible and modular design the system can be individually adapted to meet specific customers’ requirements. Terminalstar provides perfected optimisation algorithms to improve equipment and yard utilisation, to reduce reshifters and to eliminate bottlenecks. “Due to a unique migration concept and architectural design of the software it can replace step-by-step former TOS or parts of it – while vastly reducing any migration risks. Additionally, any third party system (e. g. positioning systems, OCR gates, accounting systems etc.) can easily be integrated into Terminalstar,” said Udo Niessen, Senior Vice President Logistics Division at Inform. Terminalstar is in use at the largest HHLA-Terminal in Hamburg, the Container Terminal Burchardkai CTB and running in parallel to the existing TOS since August 2009. Since then it gradually has taken over more and more functionalities from the existing TOS during a seamless migration process. It communicates via interfaces with HHLA’s own Container Basis System (CBS), with Navis’s stow planning (SPARCS), with the container crane management system, and with each Straddle Carrier and its positioning system.

LogSys
First of all there is a big difference between LogSys and the other TOS developers (for example Tideworks, CMC, Greenwave, etc) as their main focus is on dry bulk, break bulk, general cargo and multi-purpose terminals, and not on pure container terminals. “This focus makes it essential that our software is enormously flexible, as the large number of different commodities needs to be handled in one system. The same system is used by both dry bulk and general cargo terminals,” said Hans De Hondt, Sales and Marketing Manager at LogSys, Belgium.” The focus of our developments can be put into five categories. First of all, we are focusing on making our software as flexible and multi-purpose as possible. LGS.Stevedore, our terminal operating system, has default flows but those flows are adaptable to the needs of different commodities. Handling fertilizer in bulk in software is quite different from handling metal coils, but our software is capable of handling both. Secondly, we focus on other services terminal operators offer. We have developed, and still are developing, modules for various activities like road transport, forwarding, and inland shipping. Thirdly, we focus on the management of internal activities, with modules for payroll management, maintenance management, financial analysis, and KPI’s. Next we focus on customer communication. With LGS.E-Connect we have a default portal that helps terminals communicate with their customers. Terminal customers can check stock status, truck movements, invoices, all online and in real time. Our plan is to further develop this portal as it has already proven to be very valuable to terminals and a real time and money saver.” And last, but not least, said De Hondt the company focuses on different types of automation. Automation is fairly standard in container terminals but new to a lot of small- and medium-sized bulk and general cargo terminals. Recently LogSys became a LXE Preferred Partner, to include handheld devices in their offering. “The past year was a good one for us starting the implementation of LGS.Stevedore at a large break bulk terminal in Belgium (unfortunately we are not yet allowed to reveal its name) and we are close to closing another deal in Italy with Europe still our main focus,” De Hondt told World Port Development.  “Last year, we have gone live at Manuport Ghent (a dry bulk terminal in the Port of Ghent, Belgium) and we are close to going live at Manufert (a
sugar terminal in the Port of Antwerp). Although we have raised a lot of interest in our solutions we do still feel that terminals postpone decisions. However projects have not been cancelled. I can only confirm what I mentioned in last year’s article: our TCO is lower than average, certainly with a default yearly support and maintenance fee of 15 % of the license value,” he added.

RMI
US-based RMI is continually working to reduce the cost of ownership for their OASIS product. Specific areas for cost reduction in operations include improved container cycle time, railcar per diem and purchase reductions, and lift equipment purchase reductions.  In addition, there are labour savings through automated load planning and gate processing, coordinated work movements within the terminal, and improved information flow for management and customers. “We feel the combination of extremely high functionality with the ability to offer the product at a low upfront investment gives OASIS the lowest TCO possible,” stated a spokesperson at RMI. More recently the company began a project to implement OASIS in a SaaS model with a major North American railroad (name withheld as final contract is pending). Other enhancements include browser-based vehicle mounted interfaces on container handling equipment, touch-screen gate kiosks for automated driver instructions, and wide span crane optimisation for task scheduling and sequencing. “We believe the SaaS model will help us to be well positioned for growth with terminals and ports who might otherwise not be able to take advantage of a solution like OASIS due to the large upfront investment associated with a traditional software license,” concludes the company.

Tideworks Technology
Tideworks also offer a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model to allow smaller terminals to outsource complete system management with minimal capital investment. For terminals that elect to host their own systems but still want to reduce IT overhead and free up resources, Tideworks also offer a variety of optional services, such as server administration, database administration, application monitoring and electronic data interchange (EDI) support. They also minimise the need for customisation by providing flexible, adaptable solutions with built-in configuration parameters that enable the system to map easily to the terminal’s business processes. Their solutions scale with growing operations, enabling terminal operators to implement a modern, expandable TOS at a minimal total cost of ownership. A good example of this is Santa Marta International Terminal Company (SMITCO) in Santa Marta, Colombia. They started with Spinnaker Planning Management System standalone, which helped them increase vessel productivity by 200 percent.  As the operation grew, they added Mainsail Terminal Management System for advanced TOS features. Only a couple of weeks ago Tideworks announced it has been selected by the SP-SSA International Terminal (SSIT) to implement its container terminal operating system (TOS) at the green-field terminal being built outside of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The SSIT project represents Tideworks’ first deployment of its container terminal solutions in Asia. Operated by a joint venture between Saigon Port, SSA International Holdings-Vietnam and Vinalines, SSIT will support container traffic in the South of Vietnam and address the region’s growing shipping needs. The new terminal is projected to open in July 2011. “Vietnam’s container volume continues to grow,” said John Cushing, General Director of SSIT. “We sought a technology partner to provide a state-of-the-art TOS solution built on a dependable and proven technology platform.” SSIT will implement Tideworks’ comprehensive suite of container terminal management software including Mainsail Terminal Management System, Spinnaker Planning Management System, Traffic Control, Forecast and Digital Bridge. The terminal will also leverage Tideworks’ interactive Web tools, which provide real-time access to key cargo information and operations data to enhance customer service as well as limit data entry and paperwork. Tideworks will provide complete systems integration services, ensuring its solutions interface with local customs authority, as well as mobile computing devices and vehicle mounted displays. Additionally, Tideworks’ TOS will interface with SSIT’s accounting system and comply with existing steamship line customers’ electronic data interchange (EDI) standards.  SSIT is designed for an annual capacity of 1.2 million TEU and will play a critical role in shifting container volume from the existing ports in Ho Chi Minh City to less congested, deep water container terminals. In March the company announced the availability of Intermodal Pro, a comprehensive terminal operating system (TOS) for intermodal terminals. The system includes highly intuitive graphical tools and flexible user-driven reporting that eliminates the guesswork from intermodal terminal operations, enables more efficient loading and unloading of trains, and boosts productivity while reducing operational costs. The system’s flexible, user-driven reporting tools, as well as a centralised network topology allow intermodal terminal operators to centralise planning, equipment tracking and gate operations from multiple terminals. In addition, a sophisticated electronic data interchange (EDI) engine and translator allow terminals to easily trade booking and billing data, making it easy to exchange sensitive information with customers, partners and back-office systems. Intermodal Pro will be deployed at CSX Intermodal’s operations at Evansville Western Railway’s new Northwest Ohio Terminal (NWOH), which is targeted to open in early 2011. At the beginning of this year, Tideworks announced the successful implementation of Digital Bridge at two of Florida’s largest terminals – Ports America Tampa and Port Everglades Terminal (PET). Digital Bridge is a Web-based monitoring system that provides terminal operators with complete visibility into real-time terminal performance and facilitates operational and customer service improvements. Digital Bridge enables terminal management to analyse data using dynamic gate, yard, vessel and rail metrics, so they can make informed business decisions. Ports America Tampa and PET are utilising Digital Bridge to enhance terminal processes and customer service by providing easy-to-use performance monitoring tools.

Total SoftBank
Total Soft Bank Ltd (TSB), South Korea has been working hard to improve their CATOS software and put a bigger emphasis on the web-based modules, specifically the operational management, EDI and statistics modules can be provided to users via web applications. Last November, Total Soft Bank Ltd (TSB), South Korea, announced that Port of Gothenburg has gone live with their CATOS software product. In 2008, Gothenburg signed the contract with TSB to replace its in-house terminal operation system with CATOS. The software was installed with advanced functions such as real time grounding and dispatching and equipment pooling. Its web application interface will be of benefit to the users providing the fast and accurate work process and intelligent decision making throughout terminal operations and management. After a week of the system roll-out, Gothenburg hit 137 moves per hour at peak times. In addition to the terminal operation system, Gothenburg chose TSB’s solutions including the web-based rail & truck pre-notification system and CFS operation system. Recently, Gothenburg incorporated their VTMS (Vessel Traffic Management System) through PLUS (Port Logistics Unifying System), which is a comprehensive web-based port community system of TSB. CMA CGM, the French shipping line, also signed a contract with TSB for their Lattakia International Container Terminal operations in Syria. In 2008, LICT handled a total of 570,000 TEU and CMA CGM is planning to increase this to an annual container throughput of 1 million TEU.