No way to ‘cut and paste’
There are now several 'gates' to consider on dock beyond the traditional entrance point
Every operation is different and there is no way to ‘cut and paste’ from one port to another, says John Lund of Visy.
“The key is to work out the business process and plan appropriately. This involves making flow charts that show every possible scenario at the gate and in the yard. There has to be a system in place to meet every outcome; it’s a lot like a decision tree in that we will go over everything that could come as a result of a scenario.”
But what’s also vital is considering the people who will be confronted by an automated system – the truck drivers.
Mark Evans, business development manager at LV Shipping and formerly in port operations for P&O Ferries, says: “Many – or most – drivers are frightened of technology and can delay the processes of checking in, ultimately requiring human intervention. In a few instances, damage is caused. Clearly things will change as demographics will dictate everyone will become more technology literate.”
A hand-reader system at the Port of Rotterdam was not without its problems, "but from a security point of view, it was efficient and easy for the driver to use", he says.
John Lund agrees there is a learning curve with any technology and says ‘most drivers will catch on’.
“However, the golden rule is still to require the drivers to do as little as possible. We design our systems with that in mind. Some of our customers have regular drivers and offer them courses in how to use kiosks (or other technology) but other customers may have one-off drivers who couldn’t care less about the system – they just want to get in and get out. The system has to fit in with the business process of the operation and be simple enough that anyone can use it.”
He recalls an occasion some years ago where gate kiosks had been installed at a terminal, equipped with intercom, touchscreen computer and handheld phone. One driver, so frustrated when he couldn’t work out how to make the touchscreen work, ended up using the phone to bash the screen.
Matt Ramsey at APS Technology adds: “There must be a conversation between the terminal and the drayage community about the changes. There also needs to be some education of the new process, not only how it works but also how it might benefit the drivers as well – for example faster turn times and the potential for more drays per day.”
Integrated gate systems should help to reduce the duplication of data, an important target for the recently formed European Port Community Systems Association.
“With future Directives on e-maritime, e-freight and e-customs coming out of Europe, it is critical that all new or existing technologies reduce the amount of data input by the user,” says EPCSA secretary general Richard Morton.
“Duplication of information causes inefficiencies in all port and logistics operations; all operators should focus on improving this in order to ensure that when these new EC Directives come into force, they are able to comply cost-effectively.”
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