This level of automation will provide a number of productivity improvements over time. These improvements will, it believes, take the form of: ‘smart’ operation planning; smart operation execution;
reduced cycle time; reduced waiting time; reduced errors and problems; a reduction in downtime; reduced (enhanced) data entry;
better work preparation; and enhanced reporting.
Reduced Data Entry and automating work preparation will translate into reduced time, reduced errors, and reduced labour costs.
Automation of gate control will reduce trucker dwell time at gates, and reduce CPT and Customs labour. The company acknowledges that Optical Character Recognition may, as yet, provide only 91%-94% reliability, but accuracy levels will increase with fine tuning of equipment. On the quay, DGPS will be used to keep track of containers, and eliminating manual updates will speed up straddle carrier operations.
Additional features of the system will provide a raft of other improvements, such as: PrimeRoute, which reduce unladen kilometres, and select the best straddle carrier for each job;
AutoStow, which will look at overall yard situation when building load sequences; and Job Stepping, which will dynamically swap jobs between straddle carriers if the actual situation differs from planned situation a few minutes earlier.
