Many container terminals strive to optimize their resource usage via better planning and distribution of them in space and time. Optimization was already very much in demand during busy times last years - and it has even more priority now, when economical crisis is affecting volumes terminals are dealing with.

However, due to the natural complexity of the planning at container terminals, solving optimization task is a challenge even with modern hardware and sophisticated algorithms. You have to consider at the same time berthing, human resources, different equipment types on the yard and on sea side, their dependencies, used assignment practices, and so on. Perhaps, difficulty is the reason why many IT providers do not look into this area. But not ARL Consulting.

Last year we solved complex vessel berthing optimization problem. The next step for ARL was to optimize RTG deployments. We aimed to optimize the number of RTGs in use, to make streamlined RTG work order distribution faster, and to provide instant RTG dispatching. And we succeeded – now we offer you solutions for automated RTG planning and dispatching based on actual demands of operational planning.

ARL has created an optimization algorithm suitable for container terminals with medium to high volume of RTGs, varying need for yard equipment, and high load of moves. To guarantee minimal number of RTGs and minimal overall mileage we selected Hungarian algorithm as the basis for optimal work orders distribution between RTGs. This algorithm among other factors takes into account time required for RTG dispatching using yard geometry and driving rules (including time required for wheels turning) and uses RTG and containers data TOS provides.

ARL solutions for RTG management answer in real time the following questions:

• How many RTGs you have to deploy to move containers on time?
• Where and when to place each RTG to minimize driving distances and maximize moves per unit?

ARL is piloting the algorithm in 2009.
See more information in ARL RTG Calculator&Dispatcher flier.

In October 2007 ARL released their e-schedule platform; the first in a series of commercial solutions for the transport industry. e-Schedules, a solution hosted on the arl-shipping.com platform, allows a provider of a transport service to publish his schedule on the internet. The schedule is generated on the fly by the platform based on parameters entered by the transport provider like services start & end date, daily or weekly pattern, transit time per service point and closing & availability cut-off.

e-Schedule entails that the transport provider's customer ask for a departure or arrival matching specific requirements, rather than the transport provider to 'push' their in-house schedule to their customers.

The front office e-Schedule request is imbedded in the transport providers own web-site, powered by arl-shipping.com.

• Berth position visualization
• Active vessels and yard data from TOS
• Manual adding of proforma vessel calls
• Mathematical, computer determined, optimized vessel berthing combined with manual drag & drop
• Berth unavailable zones
• Visualization of current and ideal berth location
• Visualization of gantry cranes reach
• Multiple scenarios in parallel
• Manual change of arrival/ departure time
• Determination of berth clashes
• Calculation of current and ideal mileage

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A solution for terminals with a busy quay side and a corporate need to plan the berthing and distribute the plan to stakeholders. Suitable for container, tank, bulk, car-carrier, gas, ferry, cruise and multi-purpose terminals.

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 Key functionalities:

· Berth position visualization
· Drag & drop vessel berthing
· Berth unavailable zones (berth positions and time from-to)
· Flexible graphics settings
· Multiple scenarios in parallel
· Change of arrival/ departure time
· Distribute PDF berthing plan to stakeholders
· Colour code individual operators for visual recognition
· Determination of berth planning clashes

Let your quote desk staff spend their time on something more valuable than reading up standard rates from a spreadsheet to your customer on the phone!            

ARL e-Quote is automatically generating standard prices for all corridors defined in ARL e-Schedule. By combining the defined service or service point additionals -and possibly pick-up and delivery costs, if you offer door-door transport services-, e-Quote is able to produce an online freight quote to your customer upon the customer's self-service request on your web-site.

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Offer your customers self-booking on the internet. Manage your capacity online. An easy-to-deploy e-Business solution for your transport offering! Your business; powered by arl-shipping.com e-Book.

ARL e-Book is accepting customer bookings as the next step after schedule and quote is selected and accepted by customer. Bookings are automatically offered for all corridors defined in ARL e-Schedule with a price defined in ARL e-Quote and space available as defined in ARL e-Book.

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Do what low cost airlines have done for years - introduce flexible transport price to balance utilization across popular and less popular departures. The ultimate self-service offering!

ARL e-Yield is using a sophisticated pricing engine driven by market forecast profiles and utilization triggering parameters, allowing transport provider to utilize assets as much as possible, and thereby drive unit costs down. 

Prices offered are adjusted automatically by the platform, and alternative products to the primary products are released for booking, taking expected market conditions and actual booking status compared to expected booking volume relative to closing time into account.

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Assign resources to each vessel planned for your terminal or port, and resources per shift planned for gangs, and get an overview of all resources demanded for per time slot over the next days or weeks, which automatically is recalculated as ETA/ETDs are adjusted.

Each terminal or port operator define the resources and resource types themselves, either using generic descriptions or specific descriptions f.ex. for specific quay cranes, car ramps.

The daily or weekly resource summary across all terminal or port is distributed to internal departments for detailed planning and management, or to external sub-contractors or partners.

Key functionalities

• Assign shore-side resources to vessel
• Assign sea-side resources to vessel
• Assign resources to pre-set gang shifts
• List-style and visualization overview of all shore- and sea-side resources assigned to vessel aligned with vessel berthing window
• Consolidated overview of each resource type assigned on a time line
• Vessel profile based auto-assignment of resources
• Self definition of resource types, resources and characteristics
• Distribution of resource summary to relevant internal and external stakeholders
• Auto-adjustment of planned resources as a consequence of ETA/ETD adjustments

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