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Allan Jones, Head of Business Development,International Terminal Solutions Ltdreviews the use of automated data capturesystems to provide accurate, real-timeinformation to enable the TOS to bettermanage the terminal operations, by makingmore timely and effective decisions.

here are 3 key areas to which the TOS has direct influence: planning the terminal operation, operation execution

and then analysis of terminal performance.To plan, the TOS needs to have accurateinformation on the terminal status, scheduledwork and the resources available.The operationexecution requires accurate and timely updateswith confirmation of each activity as it takesplace, and the results need to be accuratelyrecorded in preparation of the next operation

plan and to provide the basis for terminalperformance analysis. Most terminals use networked mobile computers on the ContainerHandling Equipment (CHE) to collect data,but the data feeds to the TOS still tend to bemanual and with this there is an inherenthuman delayed response and a higher possibilityof erroneous information being updated tothe TOS. In this environment how does theTOS know, for example, the correct containerhas been picked-up or grounded to theintended location? It has been estimated byan EU funded project that the extra costsdue to these issues (for a 300,000 TEUcapacity terminal) is in the region of EUR280,000 per year.These costs are the sum of

the loss in productivity for the cranes,unnecessary re-handling in the yard and costof personnel monitoring the yard status(doing overnight inventory checks etc).These issues become even more profoundwhen the TOS is used to optimise the operationexecution, as there is then a near real-timeneed to both know the precise location ofeach item of CHE and to allocate and reallocate work to this equipment on the fly,in order to optimise equipment usage.Andthis has to be managed to provide a smoothworkflow to the CHE operatives.To achievethis there is clearly the need to provide realtime feeds and to automate various manualfunctions to ensure accuracy as the plan isexecuted. In this article we will concentrateof the execution of the operational plan andexplore how introducing levels of automation

to complement the TOS will help it do thejob of running an efficient terminal operation.

Key to an efficient execution of the plan isknowing when containers are in transit andprecisely where all the containers are locatedwhen grounded.This may sound obvious butperformance in this area varies from terminalto terminal and unless you can free up yourequipment for the next task and have yardaccuracy, time will be wasted in poor equipmentutilisation and searching for containers. Manyterminals rely on the CHE operator advising(and sometimes choosing) where they groundthe container, which is obviously open to

human error and time delays. Housekeepingactivities such as stack inventory checks willput the records in order, but only for a shortperiod before the daily activities re-introducefurther errors. In some situations compoundingthese inaccuracies will lead to degrading performance as the day progresses.

Accurately recording container storagelocationsThis is normally achieved through a PositionDetermination System (PDS) such as the ITSG-POS system, which uses DGPS technologyto determine each location.The PDS willdetermine in real time the container pick-upor set-down location, and will keep the TOSup to date. It provides the row and bay, andwill also resolve the height of the containerto a tier by using other measurements. SomeTOS systems will take only the horizontalcomponent from the PDS and then derivethe height.This is probably fine for most situations, but inaccuracies will always degradeyard performance.To accommodate this ITSprovide an alternative specification G-POSsolution for users of this type of TOS, withthe ability to upgrade later when additionalTOS functionality becomes available.

Enforcing container location accuracyAs described above the PDS will help theTOS run an efficient terminal by accuratelyrecording the container location. However,unless the planned move is enforced there isstill the possibility for errors to be introducedif the CHE picks up or sets down in a differentlocation.The new location will still be advised,but the plan is now out of step and dependingon how the TOS deals with this, containersmay not be where the TOS needs them foroptimised storage.The PDS can enforce each move the TOS requires by managing the Twistlocks.The PDS will allow theTwistlocks to lock only if the spreader is on the correct container (for pick-up) and,similarly, it will allow the twistlocks to unlockonly if the container has been placed in the correct location.There will of coursebe exceptions that need to be handled,and to do this G-POS has a number of exceptions that can be set by the operational management and ultimately remotely overridden by the management if the needoccurs.

Automated Data Capture Systems

Figure 1: The PDS determines container locations

T

Operation execution

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Managing job hand-offsWithin a busy terminal the job hand-offpoints, where one CHE hands off the job toanother CHE, are always areas where vulnerabilities can exist.A prime example ofthis is where the truck or prime-moverhands-off the job of moving the container to

the RTG/RMG.The TOS will have booked thetruck in through gate and the driver giveninstructions to go to the relevant load / discharge point. However, arrival of the truckat the gantry crane is unlikely to align with itsposition in the work list prepared by the TOS,because it will be interspersed with other trucks and prime movers operating withinthe yard area.It is then up to the crane driverto try and figure out which truck is at thepick-up point.This is an issue faced by manyof our customers and one where the PDScan automatically identify the truck to thecrane. OCR and RFID technologies are typically used for this, but with the advent ofvery low cost, long-range passive RFID tags,this technology now provides a much lowercost solution.The truck is temporarily taggedat the gate (or permanently if it is a frequentcaller) and prime movers are permanentlytagged.When they arrive at the crane the PDS

will associate the truck with the container toidentify the move on the TOS work list, andthen ensure the container is picked up from orgrounded in the correct location in the stack.

Considerations for automatic stackingcranesAutomatic Stacking Cranes (ASCs) are somewhat like RTG/RMG operations, exceptthe operator is remote and typically handlesonly the final placement of the container – the rest is automatic.To allow the crane tooperate in this automatic way the TOS worklist will need to be adjusted to align with thesequence at which trucks arrive at the crane.Therefore, in addition to the RTG/RMG functionality described above, an expandedPDS called a Real Time Location System(RTLS) will use portals at the end of eachroad lane to determine the truck arrivalsequence and the communication betweenthe TOS and PDS will need to be dynamic tokeep the work list synchronised.There willtend to be a number of passing lanes adjacentto the ASC, and the area will be busy at certaintimes. Consequently the RTLS has to be ableto determine which trucks are merely passing,and which are in the lane.The use of passiveRFID tags makes this easier, although the portalreaders still need to determine movementdirection.

As well as optimising container stack storagespace utilisation, the modern TOS will alsoprovide facilities to optimise the movementof CHE.An example of this is Job Stepping(used by Navis N4 PrimeRoute and otherTOS systems) which is a critical process tobetter manage both the yard strategy andequipment deployment.The progress of theCHE is reported by the PDS as it makes itsway through the yard and this allows theTOS to optimise movements, based on thecurrent position of each item of CHE and itscurrent allocated job step.The TOS needs tobe advised as each CHE passes through ‘GeoFences’, which sub-divide the terminal into anumber of smaller sections and define thejob steps.At that point, based on which CHEis closest to the target container, the systemcan re-allocate the target move or maintainthe current one.Clearly, the only way thisaspect of the TOS can operate is to be advisedin real-time that the CHE is approaching theend of its present job step.There are PDSsystems that require the CHE operator topress a button to advise the TOS that the jobstep has been reached. However, this manual

Figure 2: Twistlock controls ensure correct container

Figure 3: Use of passive RFID to detect truck

Figure 4: Portals at each ASC lane to detect truck ID and direction

Optimising terminal execution

Figure 5: Geo-fences sub divide the yard Figure 6: Sample job step screen for a straddle carrier

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intervention will struggle to keep pace with abusy and fluid environment, limit the opportunityfor CHE movement optimisation and theconstant button pressing requirement canbecome frustrating for the driver and therefore delayed or overlooked. For jobstepping to work at its best, a well designedand implemented PDS should automaticallyupdate the TOS and request the next job step.

Keyless systemThis level of automated data capture hasbeen a goal at ITS, and many of our PDSusers have implemented ‘keyless’ systems fortheir CHE operators, in which the mobilecomputer no longer has a keyboard.Theoperator registers with the CHE at the startof shift by using their site access/ID card.Using the information from the card, the PDSlogs them on to the TOS and then starts todisplay their first move.As the CHE passesthrough Geo Fences (if Job Stepping is used)the TOS is automatically updated by the PDS,displaying any reallocated jobs and then confirming completion of the move by unlockingthe twistlock and advising the TOS, whichthen repeats the cycle by allocating anotherjob.The only time a CHE operator needs totouch his keyboard is for exceptions, and thistakes place through a soft keyboard, whichwill be customised to the exception.

A comprehensive messaging system usingmodern technology such as XML is requiredto provide seamless integration between thePDS and the TOS. Most modern TOS willsupport this as it is required to communicatewith other systems used in the terminal, suchas accounting and HR.The diagram oppositeis a schematic of our own G-POS system,and shows the various layers involved. G-POSputs intelligence on the CHE (an industrialcomputer), which is used to track the CHEand the container positions, and for keylessoperations it will also manage the user interface with the CHE operative.This systemwill also communicate with the CHE equipment interface layer (the PLC) to manage twistlocks and take any other information required for monitoring purposes(safety alarms, fuel, engine temp etc.) The keyis to network this with a central messagingcapability (MRS Middleware in the diagram)to manage the exchange of information withthe TOS and any other system (e.g. HR forwhen the driver logs on, Engineering systemsfor equipment usage data).Most modern systemsuse XML for messaging, but there are other

standards in use, so the messaging layer willalso manage different protocols that may bein use between different systems.

The TOS records all container movementactivity and then this will serve as a richsource of data for performance analysis.The analysis requirements will vary for eachterminal and in addition to what would beseen as regular statistical analysis (moves per hour et al), in many instances the data analysis requirements fall outside data available from the TOS, such as incident locations, equipment status, alarms and operator actions.The PDS can have the capability to record information directly from CHE and provide usage statistics.Anexample of this is the recording of tip alarmson Straddle Carriers to identify high incidents of alarm by operator, CHE andlocation on the yard.The key is having

intelligence on the CHE to collect and thento store the information in open form oncentral databases.

The TOS is the central nervous system forthe terminal and all the major TOS systemsare highly effective at managing the dailyoperation. However, the nervous system alsorequires sensitivity at its nerve endings, andthe value of the PDS is to be the “eyes andfingers” for the TOS.We discussed how thePDS will manage the storage locations forthe containers and enforce the work ordersof the TOS. It will provide real time trackingto allow the TOS to optimise the operationand with its intelligence mounted on theCHE, it will simplify the job for the operativeand help him do his work accurately and efficiently. Most of all, it will reduce costs byplaying a key role in enforcing terminal plansand running an optimised operation.

Architectural considerations

Figure 7: PDS messaging architecture

Terminal performance analysis Summary