Is Your Terminal Ready For Automation?
Automation in ports is a transformative force given its ability to revolutionize terminal operations. With the potential to increase efficiency, reduce costs, enhance safety, optimize space utilization, improve reliability, and increase environmental sustainability, the benefits of automation promise to reshape the landscape of maritime logistics.
However, whether automation is worth investing in is a complex exercise, given the high initial capital costs and concerns about actual productivity gains. This complexity could also explain the slow adoption of automation in the port industry. Although the reduction in labour costs is undoubtful, the upfront investment required for automated equipment could potentially outweigh associated future savings. Moreover, the extent to which automation leads to lower overall handling costs varies depending on the specific context and circumstances of each port or terminal.
With each port potentially having diverse automation drivers, it becomes imperative to carefully assess whether a port or terminal is ready for automation and identify the area best suited for automation implementation. At HPC, we guide our clients through this tailor-made assessment process, aiding them in crafting a suitable roadmap for its implementation.
Danai Antonopoulou
Your contact for automation readiness support
Watch the dedicated sessions of Connecting Ports on automation:
Session #03 "Port Automation - Why automation projects can fail"
HPC's SCOPE OF Automation Readiness Services
Assessing Terminal Readiness for Adoption of Automation
Determining the level of suitability and readiness of a terminal towards adopting – a greater or lesser extent of – automation involves a 360-degree analysis of the terminal landscape. At HPC, we advocate an integrated and holistic approach that carefully evaluates all aspects integral to the terminal environment. Our methodology focuses on:
Business Process Landscape: With business processes being the backbone of operations, it is imperative to identify the level of standardisation, the various roles, and manual interactions and evaluate the efforts and gaps when moving towards implementing automation solutions with their new process requirements.
IT Landscape: Both the existing IT systems and IT infrastructure are evaluated for their reliability, compatibility, and potential for integration with various automation technologies.
Data Quality and Accessibility: In combination with the business processes and IT systems in place, the quality, availability,
and timeliness of information provided by external stakeholders are being considered as one of the main requirements for an efficient flow of data, which is imperative for the implementation and integration of automation solutions.
Safety and Regulatory Compliance: Local, national, and international regulations related to the implementation of automation in terms of the safety of operations and data exchange are thoroughly examined. The regulatory framework can dictate the level of automation that can be implemented and determine operational limitations to be considered and adhered to.
People and Change Management: The success of any potential implementation is vitally linked to the staff's openness to adopting new ways of working, to the identification of training requirements, to the implementation of new standard operating procedures, and to the formulation of a change management plan that targets the expected resistance to change by the existing staff.
Driving Automation Forward Together
With HPC, you lay the foundation for successful automation—built on decades of experience and numerous completed projects in ports and terminals worldwide.
HPC takes a holistic approach to automation readiness, addressing all critical aspects—from technology and processes to personnel preparedness.
In addition, we bring expertise in integrating various automation components, such as hardware, software, and processes, to ensure seamless implementation.
