Gate automation a ‘no brainer’

“Any terminal today running without a truck appointment system is doing itself a huge disservice,” said the company’s regional director for Asia Pacific, Mahim Khanna.

He said that truck appointment systems make terminals more efficient, reduce peaks, and spread the loads. “With a two-year payback why would you not do that,” he asked delegates at TOC Asia.

Looking at quay crane automation – in place at just a handful of terminals today – Mr Khanna estimated a payback period of five years.

“There is need for change,” said Mr Khanna. “Ports are under pressure. The silver lining is that you can use these tools to get there because automation has come of age; its penetration is growing rapidly. Design new terminals and future developments using the best tools and you drive performance and optimisation.”

Moffatt & Nichol’s Bart Verneer agreed: “Yes, it’s time to lift our industry to the next level. If you don’t design for high productivity, you will never reach productivity. It’s simple, but it’s true.”

Mr Verneer advised ports to examine the amount of innovation they are willing to consider in their projects from the start.

“We have seen in the last decade, fully automated terminals come into operation. If you zoom out enough you might think they are all automated terminals, but each and every project has its own innovations in it so it was not just simply a copy based off a well-known and fully mature design,” he said. “Each time, there is a lot of innovation, making it more challenging. It is good to understand that and when you do a project like this, ask yourself, ‘what is the amount of innovation I’m willing to take?’”