Abp: Tos Software Operations at Hams Hall & Immingham
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ABP: TOS SOFTWARE OPERATIONS AT HAMS HALL & IMMINGHAM Associated British Ports Ltd (ABP) is the UK's A full digital audit trail for every container their own scheduling decisions, cuts the largest port group, operating 22 ports that movement on the site has enabled Hams opportunities for error and helps smooth form a UK-wide network capable of handling Hall to create daily and seasonal traffic the flow of containers. almost every conceivable type of cargo. ABP profiles. This enables the team to make is backed by investment in cutting-edge the perfect match between resourcing on DGPS FROM CSA AT ABP IMMINGHAM facilities and equipment. It is also the owner/ shifts and spikes in demand. For example, ABP's container operation at the Port of operator of one of the UK's premier inland 7pm to 4am is the quietest period. With Immingham handles around 200,000 TEU rail freight terminals: Hams Hall. Autostore, the operations team can now annually. Such an extensive operation Located near Birmingham, the UK’s switch resources accurately out of the quiet requires an advanced technology backbone - busiest inland container terminal is adjacent times and reallocate them to peak handling Autostore - now with the added control and to the Nuneaton-to-Birmingham railway periods. The result? Controlled cost and precision of DGPS Container Positioning. The line and handles deep-sea and short-sea optimised resources to maintain service terminal employs around 120 people and traffic to and from ports like Southampton, levels - regardless of the time of day. a range of mechanical handling equipment Tilbury and Felixstowe - as well as traffic via that includes several reach stacker trucks the Channel Tunnel and domestic traffic PROACTIVE TERMINAL MANAGEMENT plus free-roaming rubber-tyred gantry cranes from Scotland. Ongoing expansion and The proactive impact of Autostore on Hams (RTG), internal movement vehicles (IMVs) and investment since 2002 has seen operational Hall's people cannot be underestimated. The two Liebherr ship-to-shore quay cranes. With capacity at Hams Hall treble; ABP Hams data allows us to prepare meaningful KPIs around 200,000 TEU being handled annually Hall currently handles around 100,000 and identify improvement opportunities in a round-the-clock operation, the Autostore containers per annum, yet still has capacity that are communicated to all the team so terminal operating system (TOS) already helps to accommodate further growth. everyone knows what they have to do to to maximise the terminal's available capacity, Hams Hall spans 11 hectares (110,000m2), achieve a goal. Running Autostore, average raising container throughput, improving is Channel Tunnel SACTIFF security- attended man-hours for yard labour have accuracy, cutting paperwork and delivering approved, has 6,000 TEU of secure storage, decreased by 42% and average productive real-time management information in a four railway sidings and two reception lifts per man-hour have increased by 89%. variety of report formats. lines. With stackers, an RTG and a shunting Average truck turn times are under 30 Container throughput and turnaround locomotive, Hams Hall is well placed to serve minutes with gate-to-gate times as low as times are critical success factors for the its customers that include shipping lines, 12 minutes. Autostore's EDI messaging also port and it is in this area where Autostore 3PLs, FOCs and truck companies. gives Hams Hall's customers more flexibility, makes a major contribution to Immingham's as they can now better plan their own competitiveness and efficiency. With a DELIVERING CONTROL AND VISIBILITY container traffic flows. Conversely, Hams Hall main stack that is seven containers wide The key business driver for Hams Hall is can also maximise the revenue opportunities by five high and forty long, the volume of efficient use of resources, space optimisation, on-site using Autostore's Activity Charging containers is huge and its management minimising non-productive activity and Module (ACM). With repetitive data entry demands absolute accuracy and safety. maintaining truck/train turnaround times, errors eliminated, the Hams Hall team That's why Immingham has opted for the in order to ensure customer service levels can identify productive and unproductive Autostore Container Positioning System are maintained and costs are correctly lifts to ensure that all productive ones are (CPS), a position determination solution matched to activity levels. At the heart of this chargeable. Invoices can be automatically using a differential global positioning system efficiency drive sits Autostore, developed by generated and pre-approved, reducing the (DGPS). This innovative GPS technology leading intermodal supply chain integrators billing cycle and enhancing the cash flow records which containers are where after CSA Ltd, a part of Terex Corporation. Proven position of the business. each move and the exact positions of the worldwide, Autostore is the market-leading Hams Hall is also looking to implement EDI RTGs at any given moment. software solution of choice for the UK's inland with its customers so that they can plan their container terminals. For the Hams Hall Team, throughput in advance, pre-announcing AN ELEGANT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION the central advantage of Autostore is the real- containers before they arrive. This gives While a basic GPS device can determine time visibility and fingertip control it delivers. Hams Hall's customers greater control over positions to an accuracy of 10-20 metres, 148 EDITION 70: MAY 2016 WWW.PORTTECHNOLOGY.ORG ABOUT THE ORGANISATION Founded in 1988, Central Systems & Automation Ltd (CSA) is one of Europe's leading software development and integration companies for the intermodal and logistics industries. Headquartered in Leicester, UK, we have a regional office in Dubai, UAE plus a network of international Autostore partners throughout the EU and Middle East. We operate mission-critical Autostore sites for clients throughout the UK and Ireland to France, Scandinavia, as well as across the Baltic, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Australia. Autostore is available in multiple such a margin is nowhere near accurate the RTGs, accurate to within less than 50 variants: for warehouse and distribution enough for container move management. centimetres at any time. Supplementary centre management; for port-based Based on the known, fixed position of the position sensors then correct this tolerance container and cargo management; and DGPS base station, Autostore calculates the to less than 10cm for maximum precision inland terminal container management. In position correction for each of Immingham's with container movements. Autostore recognition of our exceptional technology RTGs. The central controller on board converts the position data - in OS co- export performance over many years, we each RTG interfaces to Autostore over the ordinates - into centimetre increments that are the proud holder of the prestigious wireless network and each RTG carries a enable it to determine which row and level 2012 Queen's Award for Enterprise in DGPS hardware module that links to the in the container stack the RTG should be International Trade. static DGPS receiver at the gatehouse. working. The programmable logic controller The result? Autostore always knows the ENQUIRIES (PLC) on board each RTG connects to exact location of every container to almost Autostore via the crane interface, enabling the nearest centimetre, enabling ABP to Andrew McKaig, CEO Autostore to monitor twistlock and spreader manage all container movements and Tel: +44 (0)116 282 1800 commands for each crane. Positioning data storage to and from the stack in a highly [email protected] is information is transmitted to and from efficient way. EDITION 70: MAY 2016 149 .