Smartening up

Is a smart port one that finely balances the needs of business and the environment? Is it a port that gives value to cargo and therefore stakeholders? Is a port’s ‘smartness’ all down to the human factor? Is it a port with a global identity? Or is it a port that successfully engages and empowers all stakeholders to work together for the greater good?

Of course, any one – or better yet all of these things – can make a port smart, but it’s on the intelligence side where excitement is really building. And it’s the modern day definition of smart which should really get the blood flowing.

This is about harnessing those gadgets, gizmos and intangible ‘solutions’ that we keep hearing about, but don’t always understand. Hands up those who truly understand the Internet of Things, big data and cloud-based platforms and their potential in the port environment. People – admittedly mainly equipment and software providers – refer to ‘enhanced efficiencies’ and ‘process improvements’, both definitions which do not tend to enthuse people. What ports really want to know is simply how much more cargo can I move with these tools and how much money I can save.

Hamburg has become the self-appointed Godfather of modern-day smart port pioneering. It was not the first to install smart concepts, but it’s the first to push smart boundaries with pilot schemes and involvement from sector-naïve vendors. It believes its interpretation of smart will allow it to double capacity without doubling land. The port intends to improve processes and drive efficiency through the better use of connected technology and data. And here’s the punchline: at relatively low cost.

The beauty of this smartening up – and something that Hamburg has latched onto – is that you can go as big or as little as you want or can afford. A few sensors here and there, your choice of the mass of data collected to suit your immediate needs – it doesn’t need to be an all or nothing multi-million dollar investment.

If Hamburg manages to meet its own double-capacity target, no doubt the naysayers will take notice. But even a small gain is worth celebrating if it’s cost effective and doesn’t disrupt the day-to-day business.

The potential is there; don’t let pre-conceptions about the meaning of smart get in way of some forward and innovative thinking.