One of our loyal customers, Tan Cang – Cai Mep International Terminal (TCIT) in Vietnam, had just achieved a remarkable milestone on 17 December 2020. Despite all odds of fighting changes from the pandemic, TCIT welcomed over 2 million TEUs this year – up 7% last year. Not only does this mark over six times what they started in 2011 but establishes a breakthrough as the first deep-water terminal apart from Tan Cang – Cat Lai Terminal, and second container terminal to accomplish this record.

RBS would like to congratulate the remarkable achievement and are grateful for our close to a decade relationship. Thank you for choosing RBS TOPS Advance as your TOS, and we will continue to look after you, facilitating further innovation and growth. What a way to end the year and we cannot wait to see more TCIT achievements in the future!

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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.

Realtime Business Solutions (RBS) are the pioneers in delivering proven and state-of-the-art solutions for all marine terminals worldwide. The latest breakthrough introduces SmartTrack as a powerful new feature integrated into TOPX TOS, setting the new path for terminals which resolves all areas of inefficiency.

SmartTrack is an incredible tool factoring time, distance and speed to determine the shortest route to move a container from one location to another. However, the function solves the bigger picture. Straddle carriers, trailers, and reach stackers are constantly moving around the yard and are typically given the simple work instructions to transport a container from one block to another. Without SmartTrack, there are indefinite route possibilities to reach their assigned destination, and therefore, the equipment travels more than necessary. When the resources exhausted are placed into retrospect, the amount of equipment active in a terminal can total to thousands, and the amount of fuel required multiplied by the days tells that the terminal is suffering dearly annually.

SmartTrack is critical for a terminal concerned with cost factors, working towards a green terminal, reducing fuel, and increasing overall efficiency. It is the solution for terminals as it:

• Increases efficiency – Optimum route for equipment is executed as containers are moved within the shortest distance, and provided precise directions to reach the destination, achieving maximum productivity of all CHEs.
• Cost-efficient – SmartTrack protects CHEs against wear and tear, maintaining their value, and reducing maintenance and repair costs.
• Optimum Performance – SmartTrack maps the best and shortest path, tracking all CHE moves and time taken to complete a path, and therefore, achieves maximum traceability to pinpoint when and where a problem can occur.
• 节省时间 – No leeway for error or miscalculation since route incorporates every factor from time, speed to distance.
• 环境的可持续性 – Massive savings from lessened fuel consumption due to optimum route calculation, which also lowers carbon emissions. With SmartTrack, it is a huge step towards greener terminals.
• Heightens Safety – SmartTrack tracks movement in real-time, alerting the CHE operator counteractive directions needed to get back on the correct path. Eliminates all guessing which inherently decreases the number of potential accidents from occurring.
• Congestion Control – Determines and forecasts exact areas experiencing bottlenecks which assists in the yard and resource planning.

“Congestion generates huge financial and environmental losses every year and I fear that terminals are missing the chance to leverage the results they deserve,” says Harry, CEO of RBS. Are you seeing all the above?

Terminals have the dual duty to assess their overall business operations to depict any flaws and evaluate the best fit terminal operating system that can combat these hotspots. The era of terminals taking a crucial point in the global supply chain is fast approaching, and terminal operators may be facing circumstances that are outside their expertise and capabilities. Autonomous operations abreast the help of artificial intelligence in computing masses of data to determine reliable decisions will come to fruition by all industry experts.

A thriving terminal is reflective of terminal operations which are responsive in the scalability of container throughput while maximizing the use of their existing resources. Therefore, terminal operating systems incorporating true AI capabilities become the intrinsic option when decision-making is very time-consuming and are liable to errors. Turnkey software like TOPX Expert has cultivated the essence of AI which overturns these implications. TOPX Expert leverages greater control for terminal operators since the AI instituted automatically learns from the substantial pool of data and creates algorithms to which the knowledge is applied, and different scenarios are deduced for selection. These scenarios have been determined with the consideration of set parameters to achieve the optimum position, time, and departure for a vessel to berth. Early detections of bottlenecks are also another benefit derived from TOPX Expert as it facilitates forecasting any upcoming constraints, driving greater visibility over operations to make faster decisions. The lead up to the completion of berth planning and scheduling is a complex process that is almost impossible for the human to calculate free from errors, requiring automation and artificial intelligence to cease errors before they even appear. Not only does this indicate AI in berth optimization is necessary but requires real-time data to make accurate decisions which benefit the overall terminal.

AI is introduced to assist in complicated tasks that typically fail to address all set factors optimally, and as a result, inhibits resource-, process-, and operations optimization. All this is only made possible due to the real-time and in-memory architecture allowing for the centralization of data. An environment that provides a centralized space for information flow allows all users, independent of the type of operation, to work on data that is always maintained in its most updated state. This is exceptionally important for berth optimization since all these data fuels AI in inferring the most viable decision without sacrificing efficiency in any area. Another benefit of AI conceived on a real-time architecture is that it enables process agility, allowing operators to make changes to previous tasks without compromising the current operation or the overall process. Challenging the conventional TOS, TOPX Expert is built on a robust architecture that makes automatic changes in real-time, despite when it was made within the process timeline. Outcomes such as the elimination of congestion before and after is rendered as the fore benefit of AI in berth optimization. Therefore, decisions are always achieved with precision in TOPX Expert and remain fully functional even when exposed to drastic changes in data.

All in all, terminal operators have the responsibility to take control and define the most ideal solution that captures the entire spectrum of terminal operations which streamlines processes and delivers efficiency. Common deciding factors when searching for the right TOS derives from short-term goals which have precluded revolutionary technology offered in a quality TOS. Consequently, terminal operators miss the opportunity of meeting better capabilities which drive higher efficiency. Every functionality should always be evaluated and proved against its acclaimed level of AI inherent in the technology to understand what the TOS is truly capable of. Don’t just limit your vision to the present, look ahead, and invest for a future. Click here to find out more factors to look for when researching into AI in a TOS.

A record of 208 containers per hour for the EXPRESS BERLIN vessel belonging to FE5 service, has been established as the highest handling productivity in Vietnam Maritime Industry. The service connects Vietnam and Europe and is operated by both Yang Ming and THE ALLIANCE. The record has exceeded the previous record of 198 containers per hour for the MOL ADVANTAGE vessel in April 2013.

The 5% increase in handling productivity is a milestone reflecting the strategic process for TCIT and reinforces the strong position of the Vietnam Maritime Industry worldwide. RBS offers our deep appreciation and is enthusiastic about working together to achieve greater results in the prospective future.

Realtime Business Solutions (RBS) has signed another contract with Pelindo 1 on August 2018 for PT Prima Terminal Petikemas in Medan, Indonesia (PTP). PTP follows in the footsteps of PT Prima Multipurpose Terminal in Kuala Tanjung, Indonesia, as it orders identical ARTGs from Konecranes and adopting the RBS TOPS Expert System. The Go Live date for this Terminal is planned to be in the early months of 2020. RBS is glad to be part of the new Automation wave in the Indonesian terminals.

In 2018, TCIT reached over 1.6 Million TEUs and help 55% of the market share of Cai Mep area, and continues the be one of the largest ports in Vietnam, after its 8 years in operation. TCIT is recognized as Vietnam’s largest deep water port, and has the highest growth rate with 21% annual average growth rate, setting a record of over 1 Million TEU throughput 3 years in a row. According to Mr. Tran Khanh Hoang – Chairman of the Members’ Council of TCIT, “2019 will be a year of continued development and prosperity of container terminals in Cai Mep – Thi Vai area.”

In 2019, TCIT plans to improve service quality, invest in more modern equipment and implement policies and processes to improve their operational efficiency. Along with RBS TOPS system, TCIT has a bright and positive year ahead, to grow into one of Vietnam’s most important and largest terminals.

Realtime Business Solutions (RBS) is a private company founded by Harry Nguyen in 1991. We opened our first office in Sydney, Australia and over the 27 years of working diligently in the Container Handling Industry, we have since grown to power over 35 terminals worldwide. RBS was able to withstand and prevail over the pool of well-established TOS providers in the market, despite starting as a one-person company. By delivering the only true real-time TOS on the market, we were able to achieve the impossible and prove all odds by landing our first contract with Evergreen’s main terminal in Taiwan, 1996. Now our team consists of over 200 professionals from our office and partners around the globe, expanding our offices into Europe (RBS EMEA UG), South America (T2S – Tecnologia), and Asia (PT. Primus Indonesia and RBSVN).

Throughout these many years, we have never deviated from our core values, adhering to delivering a second to none TOS. Our TOPS solution operates “in memory real-time” and is the most advanced solution for terminals of any size, handled in a single server. We focus on constant evolvement and are the pioneers in offering state-of-the-art software in conjunction with premium support services. We also believe working closely with our clients to address their requirements, goals, and vision, cultivates optimization and operational efficiency.

We spend extensive efforts in research which indicated a poor system infrastructure as the root cause of inefficiency in terminals. As a result, RBS developed TOPS Expert Cloud which operates in a single server, of a cloud-based, and real-time architecture. This solution works in parallel to our dedicated professional services which cover the full terminal spectrum. TOPS Expert Cloud is the first complete, real-time TOS available on the Cloud. The comprehensive and integrated TOPS solution has warranted breakthrough results as now we are operating over 36 million TEUs globally, including manual and automated terminals.