Fit for the future

Bulk liquid storage provider TanQuid digitalises its Duisburg terminal with technology from downstream IT specialist Implico

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IN MARCH 2022, the longrunning innovation partners in the downstream sector, TanQuid and Implico, were pleased to announce the completion of a visionary digitalisation project. After intensive planning and implementation work, all processes at the Duisburg, Germany, tank terminal now run with the future-ready terminal management system (TMS) OpenTAS TMS 6.0. In addition, the team uses specialised cloud services from the innovative Supply Chain United (SCU) portfolio. The all-embracing software solution is designed to match the location’s unique requirements. It marks the logical evolution of the legacy OpenTAS system previously installed and used on site. The new TMS landscape offers a wide range of benefits: • Automated workflows • Expanded service offerings • Comprehensive data collection and evaluation • Paperless processes • Improved collaboration • Increased flexibility, transparency, and security • The ability to drive the ongoing energy transition both proactively and purposefully There is now a sound basis to further build upon and focus even more strongly on the storage and handling of e-fuels, which are synthetically produced liquid fuels based on hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Both TanQuid (which is also a member of the eFUEL-TODAY initiative, a web platform providing information on e-fuels) and Implico regard e-fuels as a groundbreaking means to broaden the energy mix and meet an ever-growing fuel demand in an effective, sustainable way.

WELL-PREPARED FOR FUTURE CHALLENGES

With a total of 17 locations in Germany and Poland, TanQuid is a leading storage provider for fuels, chemicals, and other high-value liquids. For over two decades, the company has been working closely with digitalisation expert Implico to keep its wide range of solutions and services at the cutting edge. Besides its own employees, TanQuid’s external partners and customers also benefit from this in their daily doings. For example, the work of the two innovation partners has helped to substantially boost collaboration, transparency, and (inter-) company exchange. Another positive consequence; by using state-of-the-art automation systems, TanQuid is ideally equipped to further advance its growth strategy and respond to short-term market developments swiftly and purposefully. This is currently more important than ever; the energy shift requires tank terminals to continuously expand their product range and steadily grow their customer base up to the point where the business focus might change and completely new supply chains might emerge. In this intense field, a futureproof IT architecture based on OpenTAS TMS 6.0 makes a real difference. It empowers TanQuid to master these and other challenges in an agile, targeted, and gainful manner.

DIVERSE AND WIDESPREAD TANK TERMINAL PROCESSES

The site in Duisburg holds a special position in TanQuid’s network. One reason for this is the enormous complexity of the facilities and processes. Another is the diversity of the service on offer, which meets the demanding needs of a broad clientele from different industries. A total of 118 tanks hold a wide variety of chemical, petrochemical, alcohol, and mineral oil products as well as biogenic substances and liquefied gases. These are delivered and distributed by all common means of transport (truck, ship, rail, container, pipeline). Every month, around 3,500

shipments take place in Duisburg – including direct turnovers. The main focus is on the storage and movement of chemicals, which account for around 80% of Duisburg’s product volume. As the digital heart of the tank terminal, OpenTAS TMS 6.0 controls all central steps and processes: from planning, loading, and warehouse management to administration, quality control, and customs documentation via EMCS. Even processes that previously took place in sub-systems are now fully integrated in the new solution. Since hardware and software are tightly interlinked, TanQuid can record, analyse, and optimise all tank storage movements and developments directly and holistically on a data basis. In the age of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), where almost every component has a digital voice, such a set-up elevates tank terminal operations to another level. With all relevant values, numbers, and other KPIs available anytime and anyplace, TanQuid can identify potential for improvement early, aimfully, and reliably – and initiate the required followup steps accordingly. If, for example, the filling process at one particular loading bay tends to last longer than at the other loading bays, the operations manager in charge can derive various directives from this. Maybe the equipment needs to be checked; maybe the staff in the field need further training; maybe the sensors give false readings and need to be replaced.

DIGITALISED CHECK-IN PROCESS FOR TRUCKS

Delivering and collecting products by truck is the most frequently used mode of transport in Duisburg. On site, it is now handled via a web service with a user-friendly check-in dialogue, enabling drivers to conveniently check in and out at the gate using a touchscreen. This both accelerates the process and reduces the risk of errors. As the software guides the user through the procedure step-by-step, the chance of something being omitted is lowered to an absolute minimum. At a later point, the introduction of the innovative Truck Online Check-in from Implico’s SCU portfolio is planned, too. It will allow truck drivers to check in on their way to the tank terminal with a mobile device.

STRONG INNOVATION PARTNERSHIP

Given the immense scope and complexity, it comes naturally that the multifaceted and dynamic large-scale project in Duisburg marked a challenging task for everyone involved. Here, the project team benefited from the deep understanding and good collaboration that the long-standing innovation partners TanQuid and Implico have built and fostered over the years. ‘The committed efforts of the colleagues on site and the project team have paid off. With the go-live of the new OpenTAS version, our tank terminal in Duisburg is technically and administratively way ahead of the game,’ says Thomas Knutzen, head of people and technology at TanQuid. ‘The high degree of automation and the streamlined UI create perspective relief for the team in day-to-day business. Also, the new system enables a fluent exchange with other departments such as accounting. Across the entire site, we now collect even more comprehensive, reliable data. We evaluate this data in detail to continuously improve our business; and to provide our customers with optimum support and care.’ Tim Hoffmeister, CEO of Implico, is very proud of the joint project success, too: ‘TanQuid and Implico – for over 20 years and counting, this team has stood for close cooperation and shared eagerness to innovate. Together, we have now equipped one of the most complex tank terminals in Europe with state-of-the-art TMS and cloud technology. This is a real game changer, especially in the context of the energy transition. After all, only those who fully embrace digitalisation will be able to adopt the next trends on the market early on and use them for their own gain.’

NEXT-GEN DOWNSTREAM INNOVATIONS OUT OF THE CLOUD

In addition to the go-live of the new terminal management system in Duisburg, TanQuid and Implico have taken another important step to upgrade the company’s IT landscape. At all sites managed with OpenTAS, the terminal processes are now running in the cloud. This gives TanQuid a fully virtualised, hardware-independent infrastructure. The advantages include unified technology, fast scalability, and centralised support. Looking forward, the company wants to build on this further. There are already plans to implement additional SCU services in Duisburg, such as the Truck Online Check-in for incoming trucks or the processing of rail cars, tank ships, and direct turnovers via handhelds. With innovative spirit deeply rooted in their corporate DNA, both TanQuid and Implico agree that there can be no holdup for those aspiring to be trailblazers and thought leaders in the ongoing and all-changing transition of the downstream industry – a transition that will not only impact the sector itself, but all other areas of economy and society as well.

As the digital heart of the tank terminal, OpenTAS TMS 6.0 controls all central steps and processes

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For more information:

www.implico.com

01 A total of 118 tanks: TanQuid’s tank terminal in

Duisburg 02 Railcar loading at a TanQuid terminal powered by OpenTAS