por ts are moving up a gearand the biggest Pacific por t is leading the way Mexico’s por ts are moving up a gearand the biggest Pacific por t is leading the way

Gordon Feller reports on Mexican Ports.

Boasting close to 6,000 miles of coastline , with 102 por ts and 15 terminals, Mexico is the world’s 11th-leading expor ter The countr y ’ s por ts and terminals are connected to more than 145 countries, bolstered by Mexico’s free trade agreements with over 40 countries, including China, the EU, the US, Japan and Israel.

Some of Mexico’s leading por ts are now undergoing expansions and redevelopment. One impetus for this wave of activity was a series of legislative changes promoted by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. It was in 2021 that his moves aimed to prevent a continuation of the mismanagement, corruption, and smuggling which was occurring at customs.The government decided to transfer the management of por ts from the Ministr y of Communications and Transpor t (SCT) to the Secretariat of the Navy (SEMAR) It was in June of 2021 that “inter-secretarial cooperation mechanisms” were established for the operation of the National Por t System (SPN) to facilitate the transfer of power

The resources of the General Coordination of Por ts and Merchant Marine (CGPMM) of the former SCT were subsequently passed to SEMAR, which now grants por t concessions as the regulatory authority It approves master plans ever y five years, and obtains six percent of revenues which flow to the ASIPONAS (Mexico’s port managers). These can be owned by the federal or state government They are constituted as “priority public companies” - and they are responsible for managing the awarded operating rights; implementing master plans, programming; development; use and exploitation of the por t within the framework of a concession They are designed to (ideally) be self-sufficient, and productive , and competitive .

According to the central government’s 2022 Federal Expenditure Budget Project, ASIPONAS will have a budget of MX$2.4 billion (approximately US$118 4 million), 10 percent below the budget approved for last year. ASISPONAS currently have 48 open projects for the development and conser vation of infrastructure with public resources Business lines mainly include fluids, petroleum, containers, automotive , agricultural and mineral bulk, general cargo and cruise

SSA Mexico, one of the Pacific coast’s major operators, has announced plans to invest $30 million in eight new cranes for its container terminal at the Por t of Manzanillo. This one terminal traffic accounted for 30% of traffic handled at all of Mexico’s Pacific por ts, with an annual growth rate of 10%.

The Por t of Manzanillo is located in Mexico’s State of Colima It ranks first amongst all of the Mexican por ts, with the highest throughput in 2022, having handled roughly 2 68 million metric tons of cargo As Mexico’s largest container por t, Por t of Manzanillo ser ves as the primar y threshold for international trade with Mexico, the por t handles an average cargo tonnage of 2.2 million TEUs. The facility opened in 1825 and became a city in 1873. Economic growth in the area expanded, and especially so with the completion of a railroad to Colima in 1889. In 1908 the city was officially designated as a por t of entr y to the countr y Interestingly, the city had a brief stint as the Capital of Mexico, for less than a month in 1915, while Pancho Villa’s troops threatened to capture the City of Colima

The modern histor y of The Port of Manzanillo begins in 1971, after Mexico’s government created the National Commission for Por t Coordination in order to improve the relationship with workers

To suppor t these effor ts, the National Commission took charge of increasing the por t’s handling speeds by obtaining new equipment. Subsequently, productivity has improved significantly, and in the last 40 years, the Por t of Manzanillo has seen unprecedented efficiency

As a result, it was in 2017 that Mexico’s shipping por ts, including Manzanillo, were growing at a faster pace than both the US and Canada. This makes Mexico’s ports the fastest-growing in Nor th America This trend of rapid growth continued. The Por t of Manzanillo’s strategic location on the Pacific coast makes it a prime gateway for Asian impor ters and expor ters Additional expor ts from this por t go to the US, Canada, Guatemala, Colombia, Chile , Spain, Russia, and Germany

The por t’s most recent expansions include both a new Specialised Container Terminal and a Multi-Purpose Terminal These terminals feature capacities of 13.6 million tons and 2 46 million tons, respectively Additionally, a new railway tunnel enabling 24-hour direct railroad access, the Manzanillo Freight tunnel, opened in June of 2018.

Manzanillo is considered the most impor tant and active multipurpose por t in Mexico due to its specialised terminal for containers, general cargo, agricultural and bulk minerals, vehicles, perishables, and cruise ships. As the leading Latin American container por t in the Pacific Ocean, the port has specialised terminals to receive sixth-generation container ships up to 360 meters in length, with a capacity of 13,400 TEUs Terminals and facilities are entrusted to national and foreign private companies for an average of 20 years.

The main por t ser vices that will be required are ser vices to vessels to carr y out their operations internally, as well as por t manoeuvering ser vices and general ser vices The port’s master plan runs from 2021 to 2026, with a projected MX$11.3 billion (US$540 million) budget

The ser vice goals specified in the budget include the following: optimising the por t structure and equipment; expanding the por t’s concession for the development of new por t facilities and terminals’ promoting socially and environmentally sustainable development; maintenance; monitoring and upgrade of navigation channels; urban planning development; fnancial and legal feasibility studies aimed at developing private par ticipation processes - through public-private par tnerships

The Por t of Manzanillo’s growth, as well as its contributions to Mexico’s economy, has cemented its place as a major player in the global container shipping landscape

World Port Development reports.

The World Por ts Climate Action Programme (WPCAP) is a cooperation between the ports of Antwerp - Bruges, Barcelona, Gothenburg, Hamburg, HAROPA

PORT (Le Havre - Rouen - Paris), Long Beach, Los Angeles, New York / New Jersey, Rotterdam, Valencia, Vancouver and Yokohama

‘In addition to helping its 12 member por ts decarbonise , WPC AP has contributed to the faster adoption of sustainability standards and measures in the wider shipping industr y ’ That was the main take away from the four th meeting of CEO’s and working group members of WPCAP, which was founded almost 5 years ago to accelerate actions to combat climate change in the maritime sector

“Back then we felt it was unjust that the shipping industr y did not take par t in the Paris climate agreement and to address this, we star ted WPC AP together ” said Allard Castelein, CEO of the Por t of Rotterdam

“Today, this issue of climate change is top of mind with industr y leaders and other stakeholders alike and I am proud of the initiatives that we have implemented in the past years. I believe these have helped speed up the transition of the industr y at large and are testimony to our collaborative effor ts ”

The meeting focused on the work done to improve efficiency, aid the adoption of shore power, and accelerate the transition to clean shipping fuels. Members also discussed the decarbonisation of cargo-handling equipment, noting in par ticular the potential of hydrogen fuel cells as a zero-emission technolog y as this can deliver high performance with relatively low additional requirements for infrastructure investments.

Still large potential for global efficiency gains

Efficiency continues to be seen as low-hanging fruit for decarbonisation effor ts, and the significant progress made in setting standards to improve efficiency has elicited positive responses from both WPC AP members and the wider shipping community The WPC AP working group focused on the top efficiency measures identified in a sur vey among almost 600 exper ts from more than 100 countries Members collaborated with the IMO to calculate the CO2 impact of different efficiency measures and developed a guide and standards for ports to implement just-in-time arrivals and deliver significant fuel savings In addition, the members worked with the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and other bodies to develop a platform for sharing nautical data between ports, improve ship-berth compatibility and fur ther improve efficiency

Ben van Scherpenzeel, Chairman of the Efficiency Working Group and Director Nautical Developments at the Por t of Rotterdam, noted that both the IMO and ship operators welcomed the measures as they help with planning operations more efficiently, saving fuel costs and reducing emissions He concluded that that there is still a lot of potential for fur ther efficiency gains by rolling out the new tools beyond the WPC AP network, at por ts across the globe

Shore power adoption continues to rise

Of all the topics discussed, shore power saw perhaps the biggest change in attitude in the shipping industr y in the past five years, thanks in part to the work done by WPCAP members. Jarl Schoemaker, Chair of the Power-to-Ship Working Group and Senior Advisor Environmental Management at the Por t of Rotterdam, noted that while shore power has been around for a long time , the roll-out was traditionally hampered by high investment cost due to low adoption rates

To help create a breakthrough in shore power adaption, WPCAP members made an inventory of available technolog y and exchanged best practices and demonstrated the benefits of collaboration which resulted in an MoU on the use of shore power for container vessels and cruise ships by 2028 They also commissioned a joint study, which showed that even with the rise of alternative fuels from renewable sources, shore power is likely to remain the best option to reduce emissions from large vessels

Jarl noted that shore power is increasingly recognised by regulators and policy makers as a key instrument for reducing emissions and improving air quality, including in the EU, leading to higher adoption rates and lower cost. This provides an oppor tunity to fur ther team-up with IAPH in engaging with IMO to address remaining challenges and stimulate a progressive worldwide roll-out of shore power

Port readiness for clean shipping fuels

The transition towards clean shipping fuels was a big topic for all WPC AP members and is expected to be the main focus of multiple initiatives in the coming years, including Green Corridor projects launched by several WPCAP members across the globe .Barriers to wider adoption of clean fuels include uncer tainties around fuel availability, concerns about infrastructure and the technical readiness at individual por ts To address this, members joined forces with the IAPH Clean Marine Fuels working group to develop an assessment and communications tool to align global conversations about the availability of clean fuels at por ts

“It is impor tant for por ts to be able to say to ship owners: ‘ we will be ready with this fuel, at this time , and this is what you can expect from us ’ - and this tool does just that,” said Namrata Nadkarni, Chair of the Working Group on Sustainable Marine Fuels and Founder of Maritime Consultancy Intent Communications. “The Por t Readiness Framework allows you to communicate to all stakeholders where you are in the journey to supply new sustainable fuels or allow vessels using these fuels to bunker - from the research phase, to development and finally, deployment and bunkering of new fuels ”

The group is now focused on providing additional guidance and assessment sheets for ports to apply the framework to their efforts. Beyond this, an online tool can be development for voluntary self-assessment of port readiness In the long run, the working group also sees potential for cer tification according to the new standards, although more thinking would be required on the exact implementation first WPC AP members commented the new tool is a unique instrument and has the potential to significantly accelerate the transition to clean fuels, starting around specific Green Corridors.

Force for good

Castelein concluded that WPC AP has helped to create the momentum needed to address climate change in the industr y He invited all members to meet in Rotterdam in May 2023, to discuss the future of the WPCAP programme. “We tr y to move faster by collaborating, exchanging best practices with other por ts, and reaching out to others outside our network. If we continue to work together, are vocal and show our aspirations, we have the opportunity to be a force for good,” he said

Proposed new US legislation might affect the US crane industry. Thomas Francis reports….

At the end of January 2023, Republican US Representative Carlos Gimenez, whose district is south of the Por t of Miami, introduced the Por t Crane Security and Inspection Act of 2022 to Congress, which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and might cause severe disruptions at US Por ts

Although the Bill did not receive a vote , its provisions could become law by being included in another Bill. It is common for legislative text to be introduced concurrently in multiple Bills (called companion Bills), re-introduced in subsequent sessions of Congress in new Bills, or added to larger Bills (sometimes called omnibus Bills) The Bill must be passed by both the House and Senate in identical form and then be signed by the President to become law.

This new Bill proposes strict new prohibition on the purchase and operation of the world’s most popular container cranes It effectively bans container cranes sold under contracts with countries considered a foreign adversar y, which includes China, the world’s largest manufacturer of STS container cranes, from operating at US Por ts

In addition, within five years after the law is enacted, operators of such cranes already in the US would be required to remove any software manufactured by countries covered under the ban that connects the cranes to the por ts’ cyber infrastructure

The legislation also states that cranes purchased from China that had been scheduled for deliver y at US por ts and determined by the US Depar tment of Homeland Security “to be of high risk to por t security or maritime transportation security” must be inspected by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security

Agency (CISA) for “potential security vulnerabilities” before they can begin operating

Several analysts told World Por t Development that the Bill is a direct hit on Chinese statecontrolled ZPMC It is estimated that ZPMC ‘controls’ at least 70% of the global container crane market for post-Panamax-size ships and larger, as the company is unburdened by the same profit-turning pressures of its international competitors This means that ZPMC can offer significant below-market prices for container cranes that typically cost around USD10 million to USD12 million or more . ZPMC cranes are currently operating at the largest US container ports, including Los Angeles, New York, Virginia, Baltimore, Seattle, Miami, Houston, Charleston, South Carolina, and Tampa

The Bill is also clear as it explains that the term ‘‘foreign crane ’’ applies to a crane for which any software or other technology is connected into cyber infrastructure at a por t located in the United States was, in whole or in par t, manufactured by an entity that is owned or controlled by, is a subsidiary of, or is otherwise related legally or financially to a corporation based in a covered foreign countr y

Such terminolog y could present logistical problems for public and private container operators in these por ts To no longer be able to operate the crane (with the current software) within five years would severely impact landside operations and ultimately the general public .

In addition, installing new software on these cranes and getting them approved by Homeland Security might not be easy These cranes are a major investment for many operators and to have them not working will not only be costly, it will cer tainly have a knock-on effect on the supply chain

There is also doubt if the Secretar y of Homeland Security, acting through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), is capable of inspecting each and ever y crane before it is placed into ser vice at a por t or terminal Another concern raised is if CISA would be able to inspect each crane for the potential security vulnerabilities within the allocated 8 hour window offered by the terminal operator, as they certainly don’t want to have these cranes out of action for much longer

Therefore , it is clear that Homeland Security can’t rely on CISA’s availability and should consider the alternative of allowing third par ties to complete such inspections.

And another Bill…

To soften the impact of the Por t Crane Security and Inspection Act of 2022, Gimenez also introduced a fur ther Bill - the Por t Cranes for America Act. This Bill would see the creation and availability of a grant programme for US terminal/por t operators that would pay up to 80% of the cost of a container crane with a lifting capacity of more than 50 tonnes.

So, for ports looking to expand their operations, the companion legislation would offset higher costs that could result from a potential bump in the price of a container crane due to ZPMC effectively being shut out of the US market, as well as pay for software replacement costs At first sight it seems a good idea to have one Bill compensating a significant offset of the costs with another Bill, but would it work in practice, and in particular with Federal agencies that don’t hold a strong track record of coordination with other Federal agencies? Would that increase the chances of inconsistent grant awards? For example , the legislation gives the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) the authority to issue the grants when the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) currently administers the Port Security Grant Programme So for example, if a terminal or por t operator applies for a grant for new crane equipment and this has been approved by FEMA, MARAD may not actually grant the new equipment, or vice versa

All in all it is obvious that ZPMC is the apparent target of the legislation and would potentially see a market hit in the US, as US ports continue to expand. Other crane manufacturers not on the ‘US hit list’ will greatly benefit from such legislation for obvious reasons Overall, there is a general concern that the new legislation might hit US por ts and the logistical supply chain hard and that is something the industr y can do without.

Despite the impact of COVID, a shortage of OEM parts, and the impact of the war in Ukraine on the logistical supply chain, the port industry continues to be served by crane manufacturers that listen and deliver as Thomas Francis reports….

There is no doubt that in the last couple of decades the por ts industr y has witnessed a huge growth in container throughput, par tly due to the availability of high-tech container handling equipment, such as ship-to-shore container cranes that have improved drastically Driven by the requirements of por t and terminal operators alike , we have not only seen improvements in speed, safety and productivity, but also some innovative crane design

In addition, over the last couple of years global maritime trade was affected by the COVID pandemic with many por t authorities and terminal operators repor ting a considerable fall in their overall container throughput But since last year, when many countries reported that (travel and working) COVID restrictions were lifted, we have seen a steady increase in international maritime trade with many por ts reporting huge increases in container throughput

For example, in January 2023, the Georgia Ports Authority, USA, announced that the Por t of

Savannah handled a record 5 9 million TEUs in 2022 - an increase of 5% compared to 2021 And in February, the port authority announced that container exports grew by 21% in January handling a total of 110,305 TEUs - an increase of 19,419 TEUs. In that same month, the por t also took deliver y of four new STS container cranes manufactured by Konecranes

But in a market in which we have only a handful of STS container crane manufacturers worldwide , and dominated by the Chinese manufacturer ZPMC, a surprise announcement was made by Finland-based Cargotec early last year The company announced that its por t equipment brand Kalmar, would exit the heavy crane business and instead focus on mobile solutions, following the cancellation of their proposed merger with fellow Finland-based Konecranes

The announcement made it clear that it intended to either sell Kalmar’s heavy duty cranes segment or, if it couldn’t find a buyer, shut down its production of rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes, rail-mounted gantry (RMG) cranes, automated stacking cranes (ASCs) and ship-to-shore (STS) container cranes

A couple of months later (in July 2022) Cargotec announced that Kalmar and the partner in their Chinese joint venture , Rainbow

Industries, entered into an agreement that saw Kalmar transferring all of their heavy cranes ’ related intellectual proper ties (IP) and assets to Rainbow This decision might have caused some worr ying times for the main European crane manufacturers including Konecranes, Ireland-based Liebherr Container Cranes and Austrian-based Kuenz

Fortunately, one year on, the sale of the IP and assets to Rainbow seems not to have impacted the market at all Perhaps a lack of sales, distribution and service network beyond China might have hampered the company in their attempts to enter the global market but so far it seems they are satisfied with ser vicing the local market - at least for now

So, with Kalmar ‘out of the way ’ and no worries about Rainbow Industries, the other crane manufacturers have been busy with new oppor tunities in a (still) competitive market

“The volume of enquiries from our existing customers and from the market remains at a consistently high level,” says Trevor O’Donoghue, Marketing Manager at Liebherr Container Cranes Ltd “We continue to fur ther develop and innovate our range of cranes with new designs and updated systems. For example , automation and remote control of Liebherr STS cranes are increasingly requested and we have a number of recent and ongoing orders where automation and remote control are incorporated ”

Last year, Liebherr Container Cranes built three STS container cranes for Maher Terminals in the Port of New York and New Jersey, USA In this instance, fully assembled deliver y wasn’t possible because the cranes had to pass under a series of relatively low bridges that prohibited fully assembled delivery Instead, Liebherr partly assembled the cranes and shipped them with the main boom and beam resting on the sill beams for the voyage Once the cranes were unloaded in the US, they winched the boom and beam into position The project as a whole required detailed planning and innovative engineering, and the passage of the cranes under the Bayonne bridge with only 40cm to spare (and well within limits) was a success

A similar situation arose for transpor tation of the above-mentioned cranes delivered to the Por t of Savannah They were unusually big - the largest of their kind on the East Coast, and (according to the US Coast Guard) the largest-gauge ever impor ted into the United States The first four of such cranes arrived at their new home - the Garden City Terminal, in a similar ‘knock-down’ version as the Liebherr cranes This enabled the yellow heavy load carrier BigLift Baffin to sail under the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, spanning the Savannah River between downtown Savannah and Hutchinson Island, without any problems.

The cranes are needed for a newly redeveloped section of the terminal’s quayside By straightening out a bend in the terminal’s Ber th 1, the por t will be able to handle one extra 16,000 TEUs vessel at a time , bringing its number of “big” ber ths to four (plus room for three more smaller container ships). This adjustment, combined with the conversion of the nearby Ocean Terminal to an all-container operation, should add about 1 5 million TEUs of annual capacity. According to the Georgia Por ts Authority the work should be completed by July 2023

Somewhat closer to home, the Port of Mardas in Turkey ordered three double boom STS container cranes from Liebherr Container Cranes According to O’Donoghue, the cranes with a dual outreach of 63m and a span of 23 5m will be capable of handling vessels with 24 containers across the deck. The cranes include a number of innovative features such as a busbar for trolley power, a new electrical communications system and a machinery trolley for switchgear and slewing axis

Another more recent ‘first of its type’ contract that was awarded to Liebherr came from Eurogate Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven, Germany for two dual-trolley STS container cranes. The cabinless, automated cranes have a primary outreach of 73m, a lift height of 54 5m, a span of 30 48m and operational back-reach with secondar y trolley of 26m The cranes will be supplied with Liebherr Remote Operator Stations Designed for tandem operation, the primary trolley delivers containers automatically to a pinning platform. The containers rest on frames whilst the twist-locks are removed Once the pinning personnel leave the platform, they activate the secondar y trolley, which automatically delivers the container to the landside automated guided vehicles (AGVs)

Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven is Germany’s only deep-water por t allowing ultra large container vessel access at all tides and its strategic location makes it a key component of Germany’s transpor t infrastructure

Significant growth in throughput is expected at Wilhelmshaven and Eurogate is expanding and modernising the container terminal into an automated terminal geared for the future

Towards the end of 2022, Liebherr Container Cranes also launched a new patented jacking system - Liebherr Transform - in order to increase the lift height and boom extension of existing container cranes

Liebherr has been carr ying out lift height extensions for many years, but in 2022 the new patented jacking system was deployed at Patrick Terminals - the Brisbane Autostrad terminal located on the eastern coast of Australia for its first use Liebherr has two STS container cranes at the terminal, one new STS crane is currently being commissioned and another STS crane was supplied back in 2015 This 2015 crane has a supplied lift height of 37.5m, but with larger vessels calling at the por t, a lift height extension was required

Preparation takes a couple of weeks and the flexible system allows the crane to be jacked in position or moved back from the rails for jacking if required One of the key features of the system is that it uses the crane ’ s end carriage as a solid base for jacking the crane structure , eliminating the requirement for additional equipment. Fur thermore , since the system uses the crane structure as a basis for jacking, the loadings are low and are carried through the existing crane

The actual crane raise and the insertion of the extensions can be completed in a number of hours and so is suited to terminals prone to high winds The operation is exceptionally quick and the whole process can be completed from as little as four weeks Following completion of the project, the jacks were containerised and shipped onwards for their next deployment in New York, USA

At GCT New York, Liebherr is working on four Liebherr STS container cranes that were supplied in 2004. They have a lift height of 36 57m and an outreach of 50m The Liebherr Transform project will extend the lift height of the cranes by 8 6m and the outreach of the cranes by 5m (for an extra two bays). Once completed, the cranes will have the ability to work the largest vessels currently calling at the por t of NY/NJ allowing GCT to better ser vice their customers

In the context of new services and technology, there were also some interesting announcements coming from other crane manufacturers, including Paceco and Kuenz

For the last couple of years, Paceco has been working on zero emissions for their container handling equipment and the latest news is that they launched a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Pack Ready together with Mitsui E&S Machinery Co Ltd for their Transtainer cranes (Rubber Tyred Gantr y Crane)

Mitsui E&S Machiner y Co Ltd (MES-M) announced the successful completion and power generation verification of a hydrogen fuel cell power pack (FCPP), developed as a critical power system for the Paceco Rubber Tyred Gantr y crane (RTG) The RTG with the FCPP will undergo fur ther testing and optimisation at the MES-M Oita Works. If the tests are successful expect that the fuel cell and large high-pressure hydrogen fuel tanks will be used on other container handling equipment in the foreseeable future - another first for the industr y

On a different note , Austrian-based Kuenz, perhaps better known for their innovative (intermodal) cranes has announced at the beginning of the year, that in September 2022 it was awarded a contract for 20 automated side-loaded stacking cranes for Baltic Hub’s new T3 terminal currently under construction Baltic Hub, located in Gdansk, Poland is one of the fastest-growing terminals on the Baltic Sea and a strategically impor tant por t for leading international por t group PSA.

The cranes are fully automatic stacking cranes with a span of 32m and 2 cantilevers with a length of 8 5m each offering container handling of 1 over 6 The electrical equipment, including automation, is supplied by ABB The crane structure consists of a double girder gantr y with Kuenz’s patented trolley The trolley is equipped with a 4-drum hoist with direct outgoing ropes to the head-block. The head-block is equipped with micro-motion, which allows fine positioning in trolley and crane travel direction. A possible skew is also corrected by this system. The proven ABB technolog y consists of 3D laser systems with cameras that allow loading and unloading automatically in the truck area and the container stack

Once these new cranes are installed they will be the first container handling equipment for a side-loaded container terminal in Europe , moving not only the long-standing relationship between ABB and Kuenz to new heights but for the container por t and terminal industr y as a whole

John Lund, Sales and Marketing Director (Global) Visy Oy takes a comprehensive look at how advancements in Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Gate Operating Systems (GOS) are changing quayside operations.

For the modern GOS, it makes little difference if we are talking about quayside, truck gate, rail, or even yard processes

The access and area management requirements for each of those operational areas are fundamentally the same:

1) Identify assets (trucks, CHE, cargo, people , etc )

2) Digitise and share relevant data with 3rd par ty systems such as the TOS

3) Allow the assets to move against the reference of a correct workorder or create an exception handling event if there is a conflict

When we use the term “ process automation” in the context of a GOS, those three overarching aspects may have different implications depending which par t of the operation is in focus

Below we will explore the details of quayside process automation using a modern GOS, and what it means for the terminal’s IT and operations teams

The Visy Ecosystem

The Visy Access Gate (VAG) platform is uniquely positioned to manage all aspects of access and area control in a single ecosystem. As a platform, it allows for an unlimited number of interfaces to 3rd party systems such as a TOS, RFID systems or appointment system, and will interface with any existing equipment such as weigh-in-motion scales, CHE PLCs or radiation por tals

The VAG platform is flexible enough that it can operate in the background, and therefore let existing IT infrastructure take a lead role , or it can be the front-end platform and GUI that unites subsystems and shares all relevant operational data with the TOS With such a range of data collecting and sharing options in a single system (from a single vendor), VAG meets all conceivable requirements of IT and operations to produce scalable , predictable , profitable , and future-proof operations

The primar y goal of the VAG “quay-gate” module is to improve specific KPIs, namely:

1) Cost per lift

2) Cycle times / lifts per hour

3) Ber th productivity.