Client Overview
Port and Container Terminal Automation is the core offering of a leading service provider specializing in port logistics. With UK centers in Doncaster and Leicester, and local representatives across North America, South America, and Oceania, the organization is part of the Konecranes Group. With a strong focus on the global port, terminal, and warehousing markets, its comprehensive software solutions and services are designed to optimize and automate port operations through simplified maritime integrations. The company has deployed its software globally to over 120 customer sites and delivered more than 1,500 projects. Steeped in heritage dating back to 1976, its vision is to offer world-class, end-to-end, integrated software for the entire lifecycle of ports, terminals, and warehouses.
Business Objective
While the adoption of automation in the port industry has been relatively slower compared to similar sectors like mining and warehousing, there is now a noticeable acceleration in this trend. Automated ports are demonstrating enhanced safety when compared to their conventional counterparts. They experience a decrease in disruptions caused by human factors, resulting in more consistent performance. However, there are challenges like shortage of necessary capabilities, issues with data quality, isolated operational systems, and difficulties in managing exceptions.
Our client’s solution called Autostore TOS is the cutting-edge container management system & terminal operating system that efficiently manages every component of a terminal. But in order to get the maximum benefits it needs to be integrated with a number of other maritime systems and leverage the data available through Port Community Systems.
As noted by McKinsey in their report on ‘The future of automated ports’, breaking down silos between functions is always a challenge, but it is especially difficult for ports: the basic principle of automation is process orientation, which requires integration across the end-to-end terminal process chain and important interfaces.
Technology Challenges
Autostore TOS interacts with data in JSON format. On the other hand, other major port systems like TASK-Yam, TASK-Yam Community Data share data received from various sources in different formats like XML, Flat File (FF), or Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). Following are some of those important types of data invloved,
- Vessel Visits (Voyage Reference, Manifest, Arrival Time, Departure Time, etc.)
- Container Details (Quantity, Size, Type, Content, Location)
- Container Booking
- Customs Clearance for Loading Containers/Consignments
- Crane Allocation per Vessel
- Notifications to Customs Agents
- Manifest Generation
Siloed data and unhandled exceptions are 2 key areas of concern for process automation. Digital integration aims to simplify the processes before automating them. Vast of volume of data shared across all these port and container terminal systems in different formats must be transformed and transferred in a seamless manner without any data loss, without inaccuracies in a timely manner to get the best results of automation.
To transform a port to a ‘Smart Port’, defining the right digital integration strategy and selection of an appropriate integration platform is crucial. Facilitating connectivity between the following components of maritime ecosystem is the challenge,
- Vessels and Ships
- Ports and Terminal Facilities
- Transportation Infrastructure
- Containers and Cargo Handling
- Logistics and Freight
- Trucking and Ground Transportation
How NeosAlpha Helped?
Upon commencing the program, our integration consultants worked with the logistics provider to understand their softwares and solutions and what data it needs from the port systems to function effectively. Having identified and understood the key port systems and the type of data shared by them, a detailed solution designing phase was started.
A key finding during the solution design phase was a need for message broker platform to enable asynchronous communication between various de-coupled components. It was also helpful in achieving load leveling and scalability. ActiveMQ was implemented as the JMS supported message broker platform.
Now, integration capabilities identified were,
- API integration,
- Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) messaging,
- Ability to connect to JMS based message brokers,
- Read & transform files in different formats like XML, flat files and JSON.
In addition, integration platform must be able to connect to systems on-cloud and on-premise and scale to future demands. Unanimously, Boomi iPaaS was selected as the integration platform to support Autostore TOS platform
Out-of-the-box connectors helped in enabling Boomi JMS messaging with ActiveMQ. Also, disk connectors were employed to read various files from the port’s TASK-Yam application. Http client connections helped in making API calls to TASK-Yam community systems and port’s billing systems. Boomi’s native support EDI document processing made reading and transformation of EDIFACT EDI files faster. Our Boomi experts, developed custom scripts to handle the complex time zone specific business rules to provide accuracy to the n’th level.
As part of our NeosAlpha integration governance practices, custom document tracking capabilities were built to empower the support and business stakeholders to monitor the execution of processes with detailed information. This ability to comprehensive tracking and traceability reduced errors and potential data loss.
Following are some of the use cases designed and implemented,
- Process to manage container information, including type, size, content, and location on board vessels, ensuring accurate cargo tracking
- Booking order system that communicates container types and quantities to be loaded onto ships, facilitating port operations
- Creating a container booking process linked to booking orders, providing notifications to Customs Agents, Inland Terminals, and Trucking Companies
- A system to track vessel arrival and departure times, including voyage reference and manifest details, for efficient port scheduling
- Track crane operations per vessel, detailing the work performed by each crane during shifts for improved port management.
- Manifest generation process, conveying container details, size, type, and hazardous content for discharged consignments
- Port notifications to Custom Agents, Trucking Companies, and Customs regarding successful container receipt and unloading.
- Facilitating port-to-customs communication, notifying customs about containers discharged from vessels
- Automating loading of containers onto trucks, providing customs clearance feedback to trucking companies
Results
With the seamless and automated flow of operations, the port realised the following benefits,
- The time-consuming manual tasks at the port are significantly reduced. Efficiency enhancement was realised at various points of port operations.
- Accuracy of Vessel planning greatly increased and peaks of truck/gate operations reduced.
- Automation reduced operational costs, optimized resource allocation and usage
