Keeping Cargo Moving. How Marine Terminals Process Supply Chain Data

This article describes how competition is on the rise in shipping ports around the world. It is essential for terminals to be efficient and effective in order to keep business flowing. Ship lines don’t make money when vessels are at a terminal so the terminals want to hold the ships for the shortest time possible. However, the ship-to-shore terminal operating system is not the source of a container terminal’s main bottleneck. Bottlenecks normally occur in the transfer system and delivery-receipt system. Information technology helps terminals handle and process the data within the supply chain to alleviate these bottlenecks, increase overall performance, and ensure ship lines sail on schedule. While container terminals possess a great deal of physical assets, they also use a large amount of computerized software. A well-designed computerized container control system helps terminals provide: (1) faster container loading and discharging; (2) improved container yard monitoring; (3) reduced number of container re-handles and shifts; (4) increased information accuracy; (5) decreased workload on terminal staff; (6) improved ability to track movements in real-time; and (7) better container slot scheduling. A broad scope of options for the container terminal operator to computerize its supply chain management system can vary, from a basic data entry and retrieval system to an advanced multisystem approach that uses a real-time operation system. The proper information system can control the entire supply chain to eliminate bottlenecks, manage cargo, and allow synergies across the various nodes.

Language

  • English

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Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01363008
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Feb 17 2012 8:30AM