Fully integrated

container terminal
planning and optimization
p o rt s & t e r m i n a l s

Fully integrated container terminal planning and optimization

ports & terminals

Complex operations,
extreme challenges
one customized solution
Planning for container terminal (CT) operations comes
with its own unique set of challenges. Plans and
schedules require regular revision due to delays caused
by extreme weather, demand and workforce need
fluctuations. Competition is fierce and literally right next

door. New players are designed to be larger, automated

and very efficient. This creates a need for very high
service and planning levels that maximize profit margins.
And this is where the Quintiq solution comes in.

Increasing
efficiency
Container Terminals have extremely complex and
dynamic operations which often require spur of the
moment decisions. Data is generally available, but
rarely used effectively if at all resulting in suboptimal choices.
Fortunately, the reverse is also true. A good planning
system works with the terminal operating system and
gives end-to-end visibility of your integrated terminal
operations. It allows you to do more with less and enables
quick and seamless decision making by empowering
planners with all the support they need to make the best
decisions. It grows with the terminal to solve problems
and respond effectively as the situation changes.
This, in turn, allows you to plan and subsequently
respond to any conceivable scenario. When planners
have the ability to make optimal choices, operations run
smoothly. This results in increased savings, margins,
efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Supply chain planning & optimization

Fully integrated container terminal planning and optimization

ports & terminals

Your TOS ideal partner

While the benefits of a terminal operating system (TOS) are clear, so are its limitations. A TOS supports the storage
and delivery of information and can make users aware of disruptions but does little to respond intelligently to
changes in circumstances. Quintiq complements your TOS in order to best advance your operations in accordance
to your business goals.

What a TOS does

What the Quintiq software does

Tracks, records and stores data

Excels at using data intelligently to create optimal

plans and what-if scenarios

Focuses on the past and present

- Records activities done in the terminal.
E.g. records which containers were moved on
which vessel, by which cranes and where they
were stacked in the yard and where they were
sent inland
- Discovers problems only as they occur

Help planners anticipate future needs across all

planning horizons
- On a longer horizon, Quintiq can determine
optimal berth and yard allocation and equipment
assignation for arriving vessels and containers
- Uses up-to-the-minute information to propose
best alternative plan
Highlights the consequences of a change or
disruption to give the planner options and
additional time to react
Sends updated plans to planners and operators
to allow for optimization across operations
Informs planners when operations are not going
according to plan
Filters information for planners so they have all
the relevant information they need to make
the best plan without being overwhelmed with
unnecessary information
Supply chain planning & optimization

Fully integrated container terminal planning and optimization

ports & terminals

How optimized
is your system?

Produce optimal results?

Provide immediate KPI-based feedback on the

quality of decisions before the decisions are
implemented?

Generate plans based on realistic forecasts,

existing resources and yard capacity?

Support planners with fast calculations,

suggestions, alerts and intuitive visualizations?

Automate an intelligent decision-making process

when the information flow is too great for the
human mind to deal with?

Minimize the impact of disruptions?

Fit your business rules perfectly?

Put your planner in charge while offering

support in terms of full visibility and
automatically generated optimal planning?

Does your current planning system:

Minimize violations of business rules and

constraints?

Work seamlessly with your TOS?

Keep your forecast aligned with reality?

Swiftly determine the consequences of

changes to the rest of your plan?

Prioritize business benefits?

Communicate revised plans across operations?

Supply chain planning & optimization

Fully integrated container terminal planning and optimization

ports & terminals

Intelligent response:
Are you planning in an optimal way?
Scenarios

Standard response

Quintiq response

Competition

A new CT is scheduled to start operations later this

year. It is larger, more efficient, fully automated and
built to accommodate larger vessels and has the
ability to handle a greater number of containers.

Operating with thinner margins or even at a loss,

offering lower rates, faster service (hiring people as
needed), etc.

Planning and scheduling reduces operating costs and

increases efficiency and throughput. With a higher
profit margin and stable customer satisfaction, you
remain competitive and profitable.

Delay

Extreme weather forces the terminal or even the port

to close.

There is no master plan because it takes too much

effort to create one. Vessels are accepted on a
first-come-first-served basis or priority is given to
whichever vessel shouts the loudest.

Planners can incorporate additional information

quickly and easily. This helps planners with
prioritization and with balancing commercial and
logistical issues that arise from such an event. Within
minutes, the most efficient solution is proposed and,
upon acceptance, shared across operations.

When it reopens, CTs are faced with long queues of

vessels, each demanding to be served.

Everything is shuffled.
Extra crew members, terminal workers, quay crane
operators are hired to get things back on schedule.
The extra cost is accepted, in order to satisfy
customers.

Supply chain planning & optimization

Fully integrated container terminal planning and optimization

ports & terminals

Demand

Scenarios

Standard response

Quintiq response

The number of vessels and volume of containers you

need to service changes all the time, putting extra
strain on the terminal which needs to be able to adapt
to this ever-changing situation.

Changes are dealt with as they occur and additional

costs are accepted as necessary. However, without
full visibility across terminal operations, the full
cost of the best reaction is only seen and felt
later.

The planner takes the information that is known to

create and compare numerous scenarios, how they
affect operations end-to-end and their effect on the
KPIs.

With no better way of doing things, the planner goes

through all the items one by one. The revised plan
is often printed out and delivered to other planners
who then have to enter it into their own systems.

Planning and system data is integrated so different

planning areas yard planning, berth planning,
gateway planning, workforce planning, etc. update
each other within seconds. Integration between
areas improves flexibility and the ability to respond to
change.

Scheduling vessels becomes a challenge when

the exact number and type keep changing.
Unpredictability also affects strategic planning
decisions like whether to invest in an additional quay
crane which may or may not be needed in the future.

Visibility

Your planner receives thousands of lines of

information that need to be sorted through. Updated
plans then have to be shared with other planners.
All this is done manually, which is slow and highly
susceptible to error.

The solution supports the planners soft knowledge

and expertise so that optimal plans are found and
the planner is ready for all possible situations.

In addition to the great value this brings in terms of

visibility and reducing labor, it also means planners
can focus on making a good plan rather than one
which is merely feasible.

Supply chain planning & optimization

Fully integrated container terminal planning and optimization

ports & terminals

Labor

Scenarios

Standard response

Quintiq response

Uncertain shipping schedules means uncertain

workforce planning.

The number of full-time and flex workers hired

is based on history and experience, i.e. on past
experience rather than present or future needs.

Employee availability, expertise and even

preference. Depending on what and how many
positions you need filled, the solution puts your
best choices at the top of your list.

Matching requested and available competencies is a

time-consuming puzzle in itself. On top of that, you
need to keep track of hours and labor regulations.
Ideally, there would also be early warning of potential
conflicts between parallel interdependent plans, but
things are already complicated enough.

Expensive spare capacity is reserved as a buffer

to handle unexpected needs.
Rostering is often done manually (with pen and
paper or in Excel) and decisions on where to place
which employees are largely reliant on the planners
personal knowledge and memory.

Mobility options allow for calls to be placed

immediately to the best candidates.
Shifts can be easily moved or cancelled and any
impact in other departments is immediately visible.

Supply chain planning & optimization

Fully integrated container terminal planning and optimization

ports & terminals

Planning
across time
horizons
Months/
Years
ahead

Strategic planning

Container terminal design/re-design/expansion

The success of a container terminal starts

with determining the container flow. From
layout to handling systems, the ultimate goal
is to avoid bottlenecks and keep transport
and containers flowing smoothly.

What-if scenarios assist in planning a layout that:

Months/
Weeks
ahead

Tactical planning

Quay crane capacity

Berth allocation

Yard allocation

Due to the unpredictable nature of

workforce, demand and weather, pro-forma
plans are made with the expectation that
there will be changes.

The optimal number and type of cranes

is assigned per liner and feeder to
meet service levels and throughput
and productivity targets.

Liners and their feeders are assigned

to the optimal berth location so as to
reduce prime mover costs.

Zones/stripes for containers are

created based on the projected flow
profile.

Vessel berth time tables are created.

These schedules incorporate liners'
preferences and allow berthing time
changes.

Planners have relevant information

to decide on optimal yard stacking
locations for all services and feeders
in order to minimize driving distances.

lowers operation costs

improves service quality
increases speed and efficiency of operations
is robust enough to be profitable within a range of circumstances using a fixed or dynamic yard configuration

Prime mover
capacity planning
Planners are supported in deciding
on pooling versus random prime
mover strategy. In case of pooling,
the solution helps planners decide on
the number of resources per crane in
order to prevent bottlenecks at the
quay cranes.

Roster planning
Planners can ensure that the right
teams of the right size and right
skill sets are available, all the way
down to shift level planning.
A forecast labor profile is created
which is then turned into one that
is more staff specific, closer to the
time of operation.
Shift strategies and assignments
conform to labor rules and the exact
number of crew members needed.

Supply chain planning & optimization

Fully integrated container terminal planning and optimization

ports & terminals

Planning
across time
horizons
Days Operational planning
ahead

Quay crane planning

Berth planning

Operational yard allocation

Prime mover scheduling

Plan shift deployment

Determine the most optimized

container loading and unloading
sequence based on:

Planners have full visibility of and

control over:

Yard slot assignation can be optimized

based on a number of factors
including:

Planners have full visibility of and

control over:

Working schedules are created

which are more predictable and lead
to higher employee satisfaction
and retention. These schedules are
based on

Quay crane availability

Container position within
the vessel
Container unloading destination
Container characteristics
(size, design, contents)

Assign sequence to quay crane while

minimizing quay crane delay.
Maximize the time overlap between
loading and unloading sequences, in
order to reduce the empty running of
prime movers through dual cycling.

Hours/ Disruption management

accepted component of Container Terminal
Minutes An
Operations, inaccurate data (e.g. erroneous
ahead container position), equipment failures, delayed
vessels port closures, etc.

Changes and revisions are delivered into the

system and very quickly, the solution proposes
the best alternatives (lowest cost, most
efficient, fastest solutions) to maintain a
steady flow.

Assignment of ships to berths

Assignment of resources to ships
over time
Expected time for loading/
unloading
Sudden changes that require
the creation of a new plan and
identification of the immediate
best options
Potential costs (demurrage, overtime,
etc.) are included in proposed schedules
to allow planners to pick the optimal
schedule.

Container characteristics
(e.g. reefer assigned to reefer plug)
Whether container is full or empty
Yard slot availability
Future loading sequences and
time spent in yard
Shortest driving distance for
the prime mover
Avoidance of prime mover
congestion

Moves in time
Dispatching move to prime mover

Expected demand
Labor regulations
Employee skills
Employee preferences
Holiday requests
Last-minute changes

All constraints are taken into account,

including vessel load and size, tides,
quay crane availability, etc.

Schedule quay cranes, schedule yard equipment, schedule prime movers

Assigns movement of yard equipment, taking into account:

Quay crane sequence and yard location (factoring in the driving distance between them)
Prime mover capacity per quay crane
Interaction with quay cranes/ locomotives
Interaction with other prime movers
The need to reposition containers (housekeeping) rail and gate
Planned position of containers
Crew availability

Supply chain planning & optimization

Fully integrated container terminal planning and optimization

ports & terminals

Offices: www.quintiq.com/locations
Email: info@quintiq.com | Web: www.quintiq.com

Supply chain planning & optimization

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