Finessing the front end

A well-planned and executed gate system can potentially add a great deal to the operator’s bottom line, says terminal management and planning software expert Tideworks.

“In our GateVision implementations to date,we have found that our customers experience extremely rapid ROI – in many cases less than 18 months – and have increased productivity to such a degree as to be able to nearly double their gate throughput volume, while simultaneously providing a safer work environment for the gate clerks,”says Harvey Bauer,marketing manager for Tideworks Technology.

“Adding other technologies such as OCR (optical character recognition), RFID (radio frequency identification), etc., to the gate solution can provide an incremental boost in productivity and can deliver a good ROI to those operators whose volume warrants the investment.”

Of course, in a post September 11 world where operators must sort out the US Maritime Transportation Security Act, the ISPS Code, the US Customs and Border Protection’s Container Security Initiative and the recently passed Security and Accountability For Every Port Act (to name only a few, says Mr Bauer), marine terminal security is paramount and gate security is of particular importance. “But at the same time, operators must ensure that the technology solutions they implement at the gate are capable of maintaining smooth cargo flow and can scale to their operation – i.e.accommodate increasing volumes.

“Add to this the terminal operators’ role and responsibility of environmental stewardship and it becomes quite evident that operators must make informed and careful decisions regarding the gate technologies and systems that they implement – to insure maximum terminal security, rapid and efficient cargo flow, and minimal environmental impact on the local community.”

Among recent orders completed by Tideworks has been the deployment of its GateVision gate operating system at Terminal 6, the US Port of Portland’s deepwater container facility. GateVision integrates four components – voice communication, video information, scale data information, and the terminal operating system into one user interface.

“At the nine inbound lanes, processing is now an efficient ‘paperless’ single-stage gate process, with instructions for drivers displayed on screens at a kiosk. This has improved the safety for T-6 personnel by removing clerks from the gate lanes to a safer office environment,”says Mr Bauer.

Seattle-based Tideworks will next implement OCR at the facility, to further streamline truck processing at the terminal. The Port of Miami Terminal Operating Company is currently building a new gate complex which will feature GateVision – this project is due for completion in the second quarter this year. And in Europe, Tideworks is providing a suite of software solutions for Portroe Stevedores’Dublin terminal.