Terminals at the Root of the Economy

Current Landscape

The global supply chain can be alluded to as a network, branching out and connecting several other nodes. Namely, international trade and technological advancements are the underlying sources which influence the overall landscape – extending from the global supply chain to globalization and the entire economy. These two driving forces have formed a pact to pervade other industries, prompting its recognition when conducting business. A grave inference draws these factors as the direct outgrowth of marine terminals. Therefore, the whole economy relies on terminal operations and will plummet if it is exposed to vulnerabilities which may be attributed by an inefficient terminal operating system.

The Problem

Terminals that centralize on a business strategy resisting change end up taking resource intensive routes. A rippling effect will ensue, causing detriment to terminal revenue, magnify inefficient terminal operations, and affect the global supply chain, which is inherent in steering the overall economy. As a result, this should not be the primary goal of any business – this narrow-minded view relays onto a single focus adopting only the necessary actions mitigating change, shackling potential and massive growth. Instead, businesses should retain a reformed perspective on adaptability that responds proactively to changing environments and build various avenues to elevate the economy. An economy that “stays in the expansion phase of the business cycle” is a prolonging and collective goal of many worldwide, whereby technology advancements pose as a substantial factor influencing the decision-making process in every industry. More than ever, the one at large are marine terminals, requiring the cooperation with beneficial technological innovations to engender a thriving economy.

If every business process is stripped down to its resources, the point of supply is terminals. Therefore, they hold a crucial responsibility in adopting a flexible terminal operating system that has the dynamic capacity and innovative functionality to respond to a fluctuation in container throughput. A terminal operating system that is unrepresentative of innovation and fails to incorporate the suite of capabilities that can account for all terminal operations or drive efficiency is a recipe for disaster. Although, advancements in technology may become disruptive, rejecting its presence may deprive avenues that present more efficient methods to running terminal operations, which not only degrades its market position but also drives a downturn in the economy.

The Response

Many avenues strengthen the global supply chain, but the place to start is selecting the correct terminal operating system that cares about your growth, prospects, and objectives. A common denominator that reinforces a viable TOS should include the following innovative technologies:

• Cloud

If the TOS is built on a true cloud architecture, all your data is maintained in a centralized system, granting access from anywhere at any time. A dual advantage is warranted to smaller terminals since they can adopt a pay-as-you-go payment model while larger terminals can achieve economies of scale, which generates extremely low costs for both structures. Enhanced accessibility corresponds to greater efficiency since terminal operators gain better control over operations since resources can be invested to accomplish other business strategies as opposed to maintaining IT facilities which are not needed when using a TOS in the cloud. For more details on cloud technology, click here…

• Automation

A terminal which experiences many bottlenecks or errors may request the integration of automation into their TOS. Automation, if executed correctly, would render a decrease in error rate and heighten operational efficiency by sustaining the interoperability between a TOS and automated container handling equipment. Due to this nature, an increase in ROI will be achieved. For more insight into the world of automation, click here…

• Optimization

Optimization drives functionality that highlights resource, process, and CHE strategy as the core components for efficient operations. An accurate optimization module will make the best possible use of available resources, streamline the execution process, and determine the most optimal number of CHE moves to deliver efficient operations. To gain a deeper understanding of optimization, click here…

• Artificial Intelligence (AI)

A TOS manifesting an infrastructure supportive of a true AI architecture is very rare in the Container Handling Industry. Only offered at RBS, TOPS Expert optimization module integrates AI into berth planning and yard planning to reduce the workload which is practically impossible to calculate manually without entering a trade-off between accuracy, time, and resources. The TOPS Expert AI optimization module exhibits human intelligence in planning to improve reliability in decision-making processes, which intrinsically induces a higher degree of operational efficiency and mitigates error rates. For a more in-depth knowledge of AI, click here…

Ultimately, terminals must comply to a path that leads to a better economy by adopting a TOS that can leverage and proactively adapt to change. Otherwise, a TOS that is unresponsive to new innovative technologies will neglect a terminal from reaching its maximum potential in performance and productivity, putting the economy in a downward spiral.