Brazilian private terminal operator, Super Terminais, has awarded an automation optical character recognition (OCR) project to HTS Brazil, a subsidiary of Israeli OCR system supplier, Hi-Tech Solutions (HTS).
HTS Brazil will install OCR systems on the arrival gates at Super Terminais' Manaus terminal for identification of truck license plates and container numbers to improve productivity and avoid logitical problems.
Maxwell Rodrigues, vice president of sales, HTS Brazil, told Port Strategy: "The need for automation enabled by OCR is due to the fact that many terminals are congested at Brazilian ports. This is coupled with a new focus on infrastructure and logistics connectivity to ports as way of boosting the competiveness of the Brazilian economy."
He added: "This type of order is a good automation entry point for ports which should lead to further streamlining of automation elsewhere in terminals such as crane automation. In addition the robust HTS software platform, GCS, enables analysis of the data points coming in from these systems in order to enable and encourage increased efficiency and provide Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for ongoing optimisation."
HTS is currently planning the civil works, while the equipment is being shipped over from Israel for installation at the terminal.
Surveys have been carried out by HTS' technical team, including physical and logistic network. HTS says the surveys will enable it to identify improvement points which are central to the success of the automation process.
The automation project is expected to be completed in September 2013.
