Page 14 - Port of Hamburg Magazine 1.2020

■ DIGITAL DECADE
EGIM optimizes traffic flows in the Port of Hamburg
Trucks sometimes stand nose-to-tail along the main routes in the Port of Hamburg. At peak peri- ods, traffic only moves at walking pace. That not only tries the patience of drivers and dispatchers, but is also commercially inefficient.
EGIM – EUROGATE Intermodal set itself the task of defusing the situation with its TRoad application. In
2019, this service provider for international container traffic in intermodal rail/road transport released an upgraded version of the app that had first appeared in 2015. Taking into account current market require- ments and slot booking required by terminals, this simplifies route planning for local traffic in and around the Port of Hamburg. The app communicates directly with the driver’s smartphone by push mes- sage, notifying him/her of tours.
The update of TRoad, developed jointly by EGIM and Hamburg University’s HITeC – Hamburg Informatics Technology Centre – considerably simplifies control of trucked shipments. Empty runs, and collection of docu- ments from offices, belong to the past. Instead, an auto- mated algorithm calculates the most efficient solution for the current order on the basis of past runs and the existing traffic situation. Taking into account the time, lo- cational and organizational aspects, as well as availabili- ty and any need to change chassis, TRoad notifies the most suitable driver from all the subscriber companies. This enables EGIM to make optimal use of the Port of Hamburg’s slot booking procedure, also helping to boost the system’s efficiency.
EGIM dispatchers are continuously briefed on each container’s location. Administration of the stock also runs more smoothly. Most important of all, elimination of waiting times produces substantially improved traf- fic flows. ■
up from the base plate? Are there any rusty holes or bumps in the box walls? Is the required stability still guaranteed?
Using a modern industrial handheld resembling a mo- bile phone, HCCR experts photograph every conspicu- ous spot. Then they feed standardized damage codes into software developed especially for container repair, transmitting this per WLAN to a database that auto- matically produces a quotation for the repair due. The repair order is then transmitted to a metalworker’s handheld. After doing the work, he uses photos to doc- ument the proper repair.
This process costs time and therefore money. Fur- thermore, there’s a worldwide shortage of steel box- es. “Despite digitalization, our customers want a con- siderably higher number of expert inspections of their containers than we can make available,” says HCCR sales chief Toni Jakat. “On inspection, a high dou- ble-digit percentage of all containers prove to be un- damaged. If we were able to identify these intact box- es from the start, and checkers could concentrate on those really needing inspection, then we would be
THE ELIMINATION OF WAITING TIMES IS LEADING TO A CONSIDERABLY IMPROVED TRAFFIC FLOW
14 | Port of Hamburg Magazine | March 2020
A COOKIE for containers
Thousands of empty containers are stacked up at HHLA subsidiary HCCR. These need to be close- ly checked for damage and if necessary, cleaned and/or repaired. The aim of the COOKIE research project is that in future damage should be more systematically classified and rectified with the aid of adaptive algorithms (AI).
It’s known as a labour for Sisyphus: one empty contain- er leaves the HCCR – Hamburger Container and Chassis Repair Co – yard with an inspection certificate, and the next steel box is already waiting to fill the slot vacated. As long as operations continue, no end is in sight. HCCR as a service provider needs to inspect most empty containers stored in the port for damage and contamination, then to expertly clean and/or repair these if required. International Standards – CSC/ UCIRC – dictate that only then can they again go aboard a containership.
The inspectors, known in port jargon as ‘checkers’, scrutinize the interior and exterior of each one of thou- sands of containers per year. Are sharp nails sticking
© EGIM