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Slot booking for better port services
THE AIM OF THE truck appointment system TASS (Truck Appointment System Steveco) is to prevent congestion at unloading sites and the resulting scheduling problems. Truck slotting was deployed in February in Hietanen. At Mussalo’s MC4 warehouse, slot booking was introduced at the beginning of April, and the goal is to gradually expand it to piece goods trucks in all Mussalo terminals by the autumn of this year.
“In the TASS system, the haulier reserves time windows for trucks picking up and delivering cargo within their arrival and when they are served. We can shorten the time the trucks stay in the port and shorten their turnaround times. Our service will improve when we know the arri-
val times of the trucks because then we will have a better opportunity to optimise the resources for unloading,” says Heikki Jääskeläinen, Development Director of Steveco.
Steveco’s customer haulier is not required to purchase any application to use the slot booking system. All they have to do is to log in to the online TASS system, select the terminal, pick the appropriate time window, and book it. A message will be sent to the driver with information about the booking. Once the truck is loaded, the driver opens the application on their mobile phone and confirms that the journey has started. When the truck is on the road, the Steveco terminal can monitor how the schedule is followed.
For the haulier, slot booking means faster operations as the unloading equipment will be ready upon arrival. Unnecessary waiting times in the congested unloading area of the port are reduced. The change also means that hauliers can schedule their other service needs more efficiently when they know when the truck will be free to move on to the next destination.
Container train connection to China now also in Kotka
SA-TU LOGISTICS is a company specializing in logistics services, offering its customers transport services and goods handling in Finland. Steveco has been cooperating with SA-TU Logistics in Vuosaari port since 2020 in connection with the handling of container trains to China. That cooperation has now expanded to Kotka as well.
The cooperation began when SATU Logistics started operating a new Chinese container train connection to Vuosaari port and required a train container operator. Steveco was a natural choice because Steveco’s Vuosaari port terminal has two long tracks for trains. Steveco lifts the containers from the wagons to the field and transfers them with straddle carriers to the SATU Logistics area or terminal to await shipment.
This winter that cooperation expanded operations to Kotka. “The first train from China was handled in Kotka in February. The containers were unloaded at the terminal and from there onto trucks or transferred to the Mussalo warehouse area for reloading,” says Vesa-Heikki Renlund, Steveco’s Sales Director.
SA-TU Logistics does not currently have its own staff in Kotka. Thanks to advanced electronic services and digitalization, SA-TU is able to operate the trains from Vuosaari. Steveco is responsible for the physical handling of the containers.
“Cooperation with SA-TU Logistics is a solid and open working relationship. The most important features are a pair of tracks going directly to the port, suitable equipment at the terminal, a good location close to warehouses and a short transfer distance. SA-TU Logistics can also take advantage of Steveco’s Move Manager Service, through which they can order unit transfers from us between warehouses and terminals within the port,” says Renlund.
There is one train a week in Vuosaari. The plan for the start-up phase in Kotka was to run two trains a month, but the situation is now fluid due to sanctions related to Russia. Import trains from China to Europe can continue to operate, but export traffic will stop if the products are subject to EU sanctions.
Specialised transport trailers for Kotkamills
KOTKAMILLSILLÄ AND STEVECO have a long-term agreement for handling and storage of Kotkamills’ products in Mussalo and Hietanen, from where they continue to their destination by road and sea. In February, that cooperation deepened further when Steveco took over transport from the plant to the ports. For this purpose, Steveco has invested in trailers tailored specifically to handle these transports.
What is special about the 15.5 metre long trailers is that they feature a completely liftable box body, as well as collapsible sides that ensure the paper rolls and cardboard packages can be safely loaded onto the trailers. The trailers also have a special cargosecuring cover inside. The shipments run daily, seven days a week, which means a great many loading operations each day. Therefore, securing the cargo must be handled nimbly and safely.
“The trailer has a customised automatic securing cover. The cover is tightened to the specified force by simply pressing a button, and the device automatically monitors the tightness even during transport. This makes the process more efficient compared to traditional securing with, for example, straps,” says Ville Huovila, Steveco’s logistics manager.
“This new method of transportation has made the process efficient and easy for all parties. The trailers are tailor-made for this cooperative venture. There is nothing comparable on the roads today – they are unique.”
NEWS
Solar energy shines at the port
In spring, the port of Mussalo in Kotka in southern Finland published great environmental news: TMP Logistics, a provider of logistics services at the port, has set up its own solar power plant.
THE NEW SOLAR POWER PLANT at TMP Logistics’ terminal will generate electricity for lighting and powering the company’s forklifts.
Tero Pasi, CEO of TMP Logistics, says that the company’s intention is to become as self-sufficient as possible. The pursuit of carbon neutrality is not a new goal for the company: the lighting of the terminal, for example, was earlier replaced with LED lights that are activated by motion detectors.
Pasi has nothing but praise for the new solar power plant. The panels spread across about 700 square metres and provide 10 megawatt-hours of energy per month.
He says that the daily amount of energy produced by the sun would be enough to heat 10,000 litres of hot water or power an electric car for 3,000 kilometres. An electrically-powered sauna could be heated for 100 hours.
“A small and agile business needs to look forward while keeping in mind customers’ interest in environmentally-friendly operations,” Pasi stresses.
He also points out that the company is part of the export industry network and wants to be a model of responsible partnership for quality logistics.
POWER PLANT EXPANSION
Prior to the TMP plant, not a single solar power generation facility existed at logistics terminals in the Kotka–Hamina region.
“I hope that our example will boost development,” Pasi says.
He is already thinking about expanding the power plant and increasing the use of renewable energy to make the company fully self-sufficient in electricity.
“Self-sufficiency is especially important in today’s world situation. The more concentrated your operations are in your own hands, the better you will succeed.”
In practice, however, the expansion would mean that the electricity distribution company would have to increase its capacity; and at the moment, the electrical transformers are too small to handle more solar energy input.
TMP Logistics could spread solar panels over a total area of 24,000 square metres which would significantly increase its electricity generation capacity.
Pasi hopes that all of Finnish society, including lay people, will work to promote the use of solar power.
BURNISHING THE PORT’S IMAGE
Pasi points out that the benefits of using solar energy in the terminal are already visible. When internal combustion engines are replaced with electric engines, the air and the products handled become cleaner. Another benefit – work itself becomes more enjoyable.
Pasi also believes that solar power will be the best branding for the entire harbour.
