Cairo (Egypt), Hamburg (Germany), January 24, 2023. Just opened in January 2023, the October Dry Port (ODP) near Cairo/Egypt is the first inland dry port in Egypt. ODP has decided for TOPS Expert by RBS as the central Terminal Operating System (TOS).

The system TOPS Expert by Realtime Business Solutions (RBS) allows ODP to optimize and monitor all port operations seamlessly and effectively. The modules implemented are the true real-time operations system TOPX and TOPO as the backbone of the data handling with the TOPS BI module, optimization and integrated reporting. Together with the data backbone TOPS is integrated to gates systems as well as to external entities using inhouse
and standard EDI to limit the amount of manual data handling.

Partially Automated loading Processes
Tamer Kosber, General Manager ODP: “At ODP, we have created a very complex environment with high-performance, rail handling and many additional services for our customers. RBS EMEA has succeeded in implementing these processes at the TOS.” For value-added services such as X-Ray scanning, weighing, customs clearance of goods or stuffing and unstuffing of containers, the TOS offers the possibility to move the containers in a partially automated way: after certain processes, they are then automatically loaded to another location.

TOS linked to the ERP system
In addition to controlling the equipment and administering the loading processes, the TOPS Expert billing module is also used at the ODP: billable activities are automatically recorded, and largely automated invoices are generated. For this purpose, the TOS is connected to the ERP system and directly integrates the billing events and amounts with the local ERP.

Dry Port supports decarbonization
The Dry Port ODP shall become a new central distribution point for freight forwarders, Egyptian importers and exporters and shipping lines. The annual throughputs shall reach up to 450.000 TEU. The customs bonded area is about 400,000 m2. As a Dry Port, it contributes to decarbonization and helps reduce CO2 emissions. Egypt plans to build further Dry Ports.

“The first Dry Port project spearheaded by ODP, driven by the two shareholders DB Schenker Egypt and Elsewedy Electric is now in production, will help to boost the capabilities of the country’s logistics network. This is becoming more and more important in the next years when additional capacity is added in the seaports of Alexandria and Damietta. As RBS we are happy to support this development implementing our hinterland modules of the TOS together with ODP”, added Norbert Klettner, Managing Director, RBS EMEA.

About RBS EMEA: www.rbs-emea.com

About the RBS TOPS: https://rbs-tops.com/terminal-operating-system/tops-terminal-solution/tops-expert-enterprise/

About the Dry Port ODP: https://www.odpeg.com/

The world has endured a series of disruptive events, and the pandemic has taught valuable lessons that warrant permanent changes in the business landscape. Powerful technologies like cloud applications have become one of the most prominent forces driving business continuity which enable remote work and e-commerce. 

Active approaches regarding the nature of cloud applications driving business continuity have taken an uprise – instilling a glimmer of hope and confidence in the uncertain economy. Employing a Terminal Operating System (TOS) which inherits pure cloud characteristics, has made large-scale remote work possible. As a result, virtual environments have fended off staff layoffs and even help employees cut on expenses typically invested in commuting, laundry, eating out etc. Native-cloud applications award a dual benefit for employers as well, as they can continue to commit and secure supply chains. However, working from home, let alone, adopting a true cloud TOS is still a very new concept in the maritime and container industry. Aside from the most obvious advantage of a true cloud TOS offering work from anywhere at any time, it has fueled business survival by highlighting new and more efficient routes to working. 

Cloud computing has taken prevalence in most sectors as companies across the globe leverage its capabilities to navigate through uncharted waters and progress forward. A breakdown of ways it has developed a better alternative for conducting business involves:

• Shortening the project lifecycle

The timeframe of business remodelling from initiation stages to closure typically concludes over six to eight months. However, given the pandemic enforcing several challenges upon businesses, COVID-19 proved enterprises can pivot with accelerated speeds and adapt to changes over just a matter of weeks. It has challenged numerous leaders to re-evaluate their workflows and think about the speed of adjustment to save on their project budget.

Businesses with established cloud infrastructures supporting a smaller scale of remote work were able to transition into a larger scale with more ease compared to companies which lacked the facilities to accommodate the unprecedented changes. As a result, there is a more substantial focus on automating processes and inducing agility in processes by going cloud. 

• Communication

Accessing data in real-time is equally vital as maintaining information flow between all layers of management. Operational transparency and visibility go hand in hand with communication. Cloud tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams have emerged to facilitate meetings and conferences in a period where face-to-face interaction is considered dangerous. In a bid to move forward and ensure communication channels strengthen operational visibility, terminal executives need to employ software infrastructures that are purely in the cloud.

• Learning to predict the future

An established cloud infrastructure presents a foundation for proactivity – a massive benefactor in this rapidly changing environment. If manufacturers, ports, and terminals alike knew about shortages in PPE and spike in blanked sailings, would they have increased production in advance to meet demands? Operating on the cloud can offer powerful benefits due to its ability to process external data such as news feeds from multiple countries and analyse trends on a real-time basis. Pure real-time data will facilitate a dynamic response to significant events in the future and overall better decision-making.

• Facilitating long-term outcomes

Thousands of businesses that once relied on direct face-to-face sales or methods of operating have now invested in building a cloud platform. Realizing the advantages of working from home and extending reach to a worldwide audience has convinced industries to evolve into e-commerce businesses. As a result of employing cloud-native applications to power e-commerce and typical operations, it will help drive a significant rate of sales going forward. The container handling industry and maritime industry have experienced a considerable reformation in the past few months as evaluative factors now prioritize agility, cost-efficiency, environmentally sustainable, responsive to change, etc.

The world has experienced the highest level of change since the global economic crisis. At the same time, resilience and perseverance performed in the initial stages of the crisis played a tribute to the quality of the organization. So far, we have seen businesses achieve incredible outcomes, reinforced in their ability to adopt innovative technologies quickly, and leverage its power.

A key takeaway of staying viable in this continually changing environment requires businesses practising agility and being swift when reacting to unanticipated circumstances. Therefore, having the cloud foundation as a platform of stability builds confidence in the ability that we will have to continue to meet challenges, now and in the future.

As previously discussed, real-time architecture cannot be easily accomplished. Though, with absolute knowledge of the core components, the foundation of a TOS can strengthen and cultivate a platform open to limitless capabilities. Paralleling these notions, TOPX Expert has leveraged an accurate depiction of a real-time architecture which has made shared- and in-memory possible. It has primarily served as the underlying foundation for expanding capabilities into new horizons like Otomatisasi in the Cloud, the Cloud itself, and Artificial Intelligence. RBS has adopted an open mind to technological advancements which propel business processes but have not forgotten the essence of having a robust system built from a reliable architecture for the base of a TOS.

TOPX Expert has been able to retain its reputation for its proven solution of being true to a real-time architecture that can facilitate startups ready for operation with virtually zero wait time. This is credited by the single server infrastructure enabling shared memory, contrasting against the traditional TOS which generally requires pulling and downloading data from multiple servers then re-uploading once an action is confirmed. When more data is required for planning, the steps for retrieval will take longer. This directly proportional relationship mirrors transaction processing as it incurs a sequential queue of work instructions and can take long periods since one instruction is executed at a time. Consequently, data is also likely to become obsolete by the time CHEs receive these work instructions as vessel data or container data can change at any stage of the planning process. Therefore, decisions derived from fragmented data is not only liable to many errors but can accumulate into problems which enforce correctional strategies reprimanded for its resource-intensiveness.

However, shared memory maintains data-integrity and -interoperability while in-memory immediately loads all worked on windows in the previous workspace after initiating TOPX Expert. All steps taken for downloading and re-uploading is eliminated with in-memory, accelerating data processing to grant greater control for better decision-making. From this architecture, collaboration on tasks is made possible, dividing the total workload into smaller and manageable tasks. Flexibility in planning is also a result of TOPS real-time sustaining a combination of real-time, shared-memory, and in-memory processing. Faster task completion rates inherently evoke an enhancement in operational efficiency.

Time is a common metric used to measure performance and degree of efficiency in terminal operations. At RBS, immense efforts have been invested in developing software that addresses the complete operational spectrum, using time as the most valued factor shaping the architecture and overall infrastructure of the TOS. By accounting for time in TOPX Expert, processes are streamlined, owing to shared memory instigating faster startup times.

Subsequently, real-time processing has strengthened the infrastructure of TOPX Expert in expediting the benefits in increased workflow and data sharing. Therefore, the disparity drawn from transaction processing requiring micro-planning is incomparable with real-time processing as it enables shared memory for macro-planning, allowing terminals to increase their cost savings.

Choose RBS for a customer-centric TOS that always has your needs and prospects in hindsight.

Saigon New Port – Tan Cang Cat Lai Terminal is ringing in the new year with their fantastic achievement of reaching 5 Mil TEUs. TCCT’s ground-breaking record was accomplished 15 days before its set annual target. The 14% profit increase reflects another triumph equivalent to US$133.5 million, which is the highest level by far. It is a pleasure working with Tan Cang Cat Lai Terminal, and we hope to see further growth in the new year!

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