As the growth of the global container fleet outpaces growth in port capacity, and ports are coming under increasing pressure to bring about improvements in the speed at which containers move through a port, and the accuracy with which they can be tracked, so more and more operators are turning to wireless communications.
“Most companies look for any advantage to stay ahead of their competitors, and port operators are no exception. With millions of dollars worth of goods moving through ports each day, operators must handle cargo efficiently – even the shortest delay can amount to significant costs that undermine their business, ” Mark Oekten, western region ports & intermodal manager at Psion Teklogix told PS.
“One of the ways ports are ensuring fast, accurate and secure container movement is by investing in rugged solutions for wireless computing and data collection. Wireless and mobile solutions have become the standard for identifying and tracking shipments in ports, and the technology has empowered workers, enabling them to gather, enter and share data at the point of work, and track the movement of containers in real-time, ” he explains.
In Oetken’s view, the main advantage of the technology is that the transmission of data is not tied to any one location. Workers can simply transmit data from a handheld or vehicle-mounted unit to the host computer, and process, update and distribute the information instantly. “These technologies are a boon to mobile users such as crane operators, who can collect instructions or report data instantaneously, ” he notes.
Frans Kok, AMEA general manager at LXE, says: “The main benefits of using a wireless system that provides you with online data communications is improving the use of handling equipment like cranes, RTGs, prime movers, together with improved worker productivity. You move the point of data input to the point of activity.
“Other benefits include better quality control and security because a wireless network offers a technology platform to comply with security regulations and, from a strategic point of view, you move more TEUs in less time, with a higher level of accuracy, security and real time control.”
SMALLER TERMINALS BENEFIT TOO Asked how the initial costs of installing wireless and through-life costs varied with terminal size, Kok says it was important to bear in mind that the system has two main components. The first of these is the radio network, which allows coverage of your site, the cost of which depends on the area and how high your container stacks are. The second component is the radio data computers that allow users to interface with the application. “This cost depends on how much handling is carried out on the site, ” says Kok – that is, the number of cranes, RTGs and prime movers, and the number of workers.
“The up-front investment in wireless infrastructure is relatively low, ” Janne Kerttula of Airpsan Networks (which recently acquired Radionet in Finland) explains. “This makes the solution attractive for terminals of all sizes, ” but, he believes, the realtime applications made available through wireless are better suited to large and complex terminals. That said, Kerttula also believes that the latest developments in technology and more ‘targeted’ applications have also proven to be cost-effective on a smaller scale.
In Kok’s view, the size of the container handling facility doesn’t really matter: “It pays itself back within 12-18 months. The smaller the terminal, the lower the cost of the system. The initial cost is the terminal operating software and the infrastructure.”
Mark Oetken at Psion Teklogix believes that almost all terminals, regardless of size, can benefit from some kind of wireless technology, but, as he explains, in many smaller to mid-size terminals it may not be cost-effective to implement a WiFi network because of the infrastructure costs required to support and install WiFi.
As a result, he says, many smaller, cost-conscious terminals tend to look at narrowband technology as a very cost effective solution.
“With narrowband wireless technology a customer can often cover their whole terminal with only one or two base stations, which is a significant saving over the costs involved with a WiFi network. A WiFi access point only covers a fraction of what one narrowband base station can over. Granted, the WiFi network is much faster and is better suited for applications that are GUI (graphical user interface) based but for most, smaller terminals, character-based applications are all that is really needed.”
The larger the facility the more it will cost to install and maintain the wireless infrastructure and network, but terminal size has little or no bearing on how long a customer can continue to use a wireless network or the wireless terminals. Says Mark Oetken, the return on investment varies from port to port, depending upon size, the volume of containers handled, and the nature of the area in which wireless technology is implemented. Typically, wireless systems pay for themselves within months, not years, he claims, noting that Psion Teklogix has seen customers continue to use RF (radio frequency) systems in ports for 510 years before they need what he calls “a technology refresh.”
In the long term there are many other cost and operating efficiencies to be gained from implementing a wireless network for container handling.
One of the most useful for ports running an ERP system in their back office is that operational equipment can interface with the ERP (enterprise resource planning) system. This means that, when data is ‘captured’ it is not only used for operations, but for statistics, financial management, and accounting, and the ERP system is ‘fed’ with information in realtime, for maximum efficiency and rapid decision-making.
Janne Kerttula agrees: “The use of wireless systems has changed the way of working dramatically. A big part of terminal work used to be filling in different forms and lists – routine work. Now, this can be automated with bar code readers or RFID (radio frequency identification) systems, and the immediate response from the system gives terminal workers better feedback and a better overview of their work.
“The handhelds use GUIs that are familiar to anyone with a home computer. This reduces the need for training, and the wireless system itself doesn’t require any training – to all intents and purposes it is invisible to the terminal worker. Wireless infrastructure allows terminal operators to implement realtime production management systems including applications for on-loading/off-loading management, yard planning, control of manned and unmanned vehicles. It reduces the workload of terminal staff and enables a more proactive way of working leading to improved productivity, ” he concludes.
