TCS DynaPORT™
Next-gen, multi-purpose terminal operating system
Industry
Travel and Logistics
Data and AI in Travel Industry for a Memorable Passenger Experience
HIGHLIGHTS
- Terminal operators worldwide face challenges in dealing with customer expectations regarding service level agreements (SLAs). Additionally, investors in terminals expect growth through optimum asset utilization and productivity.
- TCS DynaPORT™ enables multi-purpose and multi-modal terminal operators to automate and optimize their order-to-invoice processes.
- With an intelligent, configurable optimization engine, it offers terminal supervisors and planners control over the planning and operation of assets and resources to meet efficiency and SLA targets.
- It leverages the power of IoT, analytics, and cloud to improve operational visibility, performance, and scale, enabling the growth and transformation of terminal operators.
Overview
With nearly 80% of world trade occurring through the sea route, marine terminals are crucial to maritime logistics.
These terminals are heavily influenced by the economic, environmental, social, and developmental agendas of respective port cities and nations. To manage their priorities effectively and derive optimal value, terminal operators must diligently walk the tightrope of standardizing processes and allowing latitude for unique yet localized differentiators to balance stakeholder and customer expectations.
In a changing market and trade environment, terminal operators face challenges such as constrained terminal infrastructure, leading to planning complexities, operational inefficiencies, and cost escalation. Additionally, sub-optimal, error-prone manual operations cause delays, service level agreement (SLA) slippage, cargo damages, and business loss. Further, the lack of skilled resources and automation limit competitiveness and innovation. Increasing environmental, safety, and security regulations further strain the already capital-intensive infrastructure. With most IT systems for cargo management and multimodal operations being plagued by non-standardization and integration complexities, the ability of ports to scale operations efficiently is severely impaired.
Solution
TCS DynaPORT™ is a cloud-ready, multi-tenant terminal operation system (TOS) that has been implemented at over 70 terminals worldwide.
Terminal operators can benefit from the following features:
- It automates and optimizes order-to-invoice processes for multi-purpose and multi-modal terminals, enhancing performance, reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO), and accelerating the speed to market.
- TCS’ solution automates B2B communication through a configurable electronic data interchange (EDI) system and offers a flexible documentation system for managing container and cargo order processing to meet various administrative, operational, and compliance requirements.
- Marine planning and operation automation enables planning and scheduling, of pilots and tugboat operations and real-time vessel tracking by integration with automated identification systems (AIS). Berth planning optimizes berth allocation and equipment assignment and provides graphical visibility of berth occupancy.
- Planning and operation automation optimizes terminal asset and resource management for vessel, rail, gate, and yard activities, while workforce planning offers optimal resource rostering, resource requisition, work recording, and overtime calculations.
- An integrated container freight station (CFS) is available for planning, recording, and monitoring of stuffing, de-stuffing, and cross-stuffing operations.
- The solution provides a device-agnostic terminal operations application for real-time inter-staff communication, operational visibility, and recording.
- Configurable terminal invoicing supports the management of global and customer-specific tariffs, taxes, discounts, and slab-based pricing. It also helps with the generation of proforma and final invoices for marine, vessel, container, and cargo services.
- Open application programming interfaces (APIs) allow seamless integration with third-party systems such as ERP, reefer monitoring, equipment control systems, and so on.
TCS DynaPORT also offers specialized functionalities for containerized as well as non-containerized terminals.
Containerized terminals
- The functionality of the solution for containerized terminals supports multiple container types, including 20- and 40-foot reefers; hazardous containers; and containers on trailers, chassis, and swap bodies. It optimizes yard planning and space utilization, automatically generating the best stacking location for incoming containers and recommending the best pickup container for optimized delivery by truck, rail, or vessel based on container attributes and real-time yard equipment status.
- Vessel planning and quay crane (QC) optimization tools enable faster operations, using automated load planning and automated crane sequencing. Configurable internal transfer vehicle (ITVs) pools optimize container movement within the terminal. Field-proven intelligent equipment optimization algorithms optimize yard, ITVs, and quay cranes by ensuring load balancing, optimal distance management, and improved productivity with reduced turnaround times.
- Equipment automation capabilities support integration with equipment control systems (ECS), position detection systems (PDS), and optical character recognition (OCR) for semi-automated and fully automated terminals, enabling the automation of quay cranes and yard container handling equipment (CHE) operations.
- Gate operations are automated with vehicle booking system, gate kiosks and optical character recognition (OCR) systems for automatic truck and container identification and automatic truck gate entry and exit.
- The functionality also includes real-time command control monitoring screens and dashboards to oversee terminal operations and key performance indicators (KPIs) for increased productivity.
Non-containerized terminals
- The functionality of the solution for non-containerized terminals supports multiple cargo types, including break, dry, and liquid bulk and roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) cargo with user-definable commodities. It offers hatch sequencing planning for optimized loading and discharge operations besides break-bulk cargo operations like consolidation and deconsolidation operations and tracking the operations up to item level from receipt to delivery using barcode and QR code.
- Dry bulk cargo handling is available, with specialized equipment, truck deployment for vessel loading and unloading, and stock adjustment recording. The functionality supports liquid cargo operations through tanks, dock lines, and pipelines with flow meter interfaces. It also enables the managing of ro-ro operations for wheeled cargo like automobiles, trucks, trailers, and trade cars.
- Cargo storage planning and inventory management are included with dynamic storage area creation and allocation and user-defined vessel and cargo value-added services.
- It provides mobile-enabled operations for real-time recording of all cargo movements and operations of break bulk and bulk.
- Real-time track and trace dashboards enable monitoring operations, gang productivity, and storage utilization, along with end-to-end cargo tracking. The functionality also includes automation through self-check-in kiosks and integration with mechanized equipment like weighbridges and conveyor belts for automatic data recording.
Benefits
TCS DynaPORT helps terminal companies automate their operations, fuelling innovation and improving cost efficiencies.
Key benefits include:
- Automates and manages processes for all types of containerized and non-containerized cargo operations.
- Reduces IT complexities and improves the total cost of ownership (TCO) by managing all multipurpose and multimodal terminals.
- Provides end-to-end plug-in capabilities to manage the complete order-to-invoice process while accelerating the digitalization and automation journey of operators as per their maturity and growth priorities.
- Leverages automated planning, real-time monitoring, and advanced analytics to optimize and improve planning efficacy, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance.
- Leverages cloud-based capabilities to innovate and improve terminal operators’ services to help meet strategic goals.
- Ensures compliance with security standards such as general data protection regulation (GDPR) and ISO 27001 and ISA95 and provides a safe and secure environment to exchange data between information technology and operational technology systems.
The TCS advantage
Backed by deep domain expertise and technological acumen, TCS brings a range of differentiators to the table.
Partnering with us allows businesses to experience the following advantages:
- Trusted advisor: With over 25 years of global experience, TCS understands the complexities terminal operators face in managing diverse operations, stakeholders, and technologies. We leverage our deep contextual knowledge and technology expertise to solve the toughest challenges of our clients.
- Strategy to implementation approach: We believe every TOS transformation is unique. We partner with organizations to understand their business, identify the right solution, chart a roadmap, and drive implementation, leveraging global growth and transformation best practices.
- One-stop partner for digital transformation of seaports: Besides the TOS solution offering, TCS offers a diversified suite of solutions for seaports that includes application development and management (ADM) services, digital twin, IoT, ERP, assets tracking and maintenance, advanced analytics, mobility, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and robotics for the terminal of the future.
- Product agility to changing business requirements: With ports and allied businesses focussing heavily on agility, TCS provides quick solutions to their changing business requirements, eliminating long waits and release cycles.
