iTerminals 4.0 OVERVIEW

Technology is continually evolving to better its aid in business, health, and overall standard of living. However, the pace of technological change is too great for those who are already behind even to catch up. As most shipping and terminal stakeholders operate independently, they develop their standard of procedures. Consequently, they recluse themselves from globalizing, which pushes the current knowledge gap even wider and becomes more challenging to achieve supply chain cohesion. Taking the initiative to abate the inconsistencies, iTerminals 4.0 established to determine universal standards for port-container terminals and facilitate future digitization and interoperability.

iTerminals 4.0 is a committee of various world-class industry leaders collectively working together to boost digitalization and help the Port Industry participate in the 4th Industrial Revolution. Pilot tests are conducted to evaluate innovations – whether that is new product software or equipment and are measured against their objectives to determine its value and fit for purpose.

CURRENT CHALLENGE

Technologies have transformed the way operations perform and are still evolving to accommodate different industry needs better. With each upgrade or new rollout surprising the last, business goals are now prioritizing operational efficiency and sustainability, which rarely exist without some form of digitalization. While many tech innovations disrupt and boost growth for businesses, the shipping and terminal industry have not been able to benefit from digitalization fully.

The lag in technological knowledge combined with lack of standardization has denied proactiveness and efficiency in processes, equipment, and actions in events. Because they develop business frameworks independently, naturally, their business requirements catering to these objectives vary from terminal to terminal. However, given the strain of the current global supply chain, iTerminals 4.0 recognizes taking a united front regarding standardization and digitalization will offer better opportunity and prospects.

The biggest challenge arises from transmitting real-world complexities into the virtual, and it mainly stems from the lack of coordination in standardizing practices. The separate development in the initial decades of terminal operating solutions and containerization varied across several regions worldwide. As a result, discrepancies in words, descriptions, sentences, and protocols, attribute to the misconfiguration of project implementations not realizing the full benefit of new technologies.

Language disparity even for the same unique word “move,” can refer to certain parts of the process while being used in all areas of terminal operations, ranging from being handled,  such as at the Berth, STS, Yard, Gate, Port, TEU, Reefer, etc. Similarly, the term “cycle” in port equipment can render different meanings as it differs from brand and equipment, like for STS, ASCs, RMGs, straddle carriers, RSTS, AGVs, terminal trucks, etc.

Therefore, efforts to institute a standard framework of operating is required to achieve operational efficiency and business sustainability. Taking the initiative to mitigate these inconsistencies, iTerminals 4.0 investigates a wide range of technological innovations to determine a set of standards best fit for the industry.