The technology foundation for WCT’s end-to-end container management is provided by Autostore, developed and installed by Central Systems & Automation,which provides a network for administration and operational use,running on a Windows server with an SQL Server database accessed through standard Microsoft Windows terminals for familiarity and ease-of-use. The main server is mirrored for failsafe back-up using a dedicated and secure fibre optic  connection,and uninterruptible power supplies protect the system from any main grid power failures.An additional wireless LAN using radio data terminals (RDT) connects the reach truck and gantry cranes to Autostore.

The WCT application also includes the Autostore Position Determination System (PDS) that lets the driver know the exact position of the crane and container relative to the stack.Each PDS connects to the gantry cranes’ own control system and combines positional information with twist-lock status to map the information and provide the driver, via the RDT, with crane and container position. The PDS also feeds this information back to the container terminal management system thus ensuring that the right container makes the right move to right part of the stack.

As the company notes, stripping or loading the entire payload of a ship at berth is relatively straightforward, the hard part is the partial stripping or loading of cargo, so Autostore crosschecks the intended loading/stripping sequence to make sure it matches the sequence as detailed in the manifest.

Once the ship is berthed, the preprogrammed container movements can then begin. WCT has separate ingates and out-gates through which rail and road deliveries and despatches are controlled. Coming in, containers are transferred from the wagons by either the reach truck or the gantry cranes to the right storage location in the container stack.