This article was published in Edition 99 of Port Technology in 2020.
A “HOW-TO GUIDE”
Due to issues such as demands stemming from increasingly advanced technologies, the “growing” impact of increased vessel sizes and attendant container loads, a lack of physical space to store containers, and a desire to simplify complex IT landscapes, many terminals are looking to advance beyond legacy systems and streamline their processes. However, in our conservative industry, many roadblocks are standing in the way of meaningful progress when upgrading from legacy systems. These range from the practical IT challenges to the more human challenges that come.
This paper will outline the roadblocks and challenges concerning upgrading from legacy systems and then present a how-to guide for overcoming these issues. In order to ground the piece in real-life operations, we have leaned on several key global figures from across the industry for their insights. But first, let us briefly outline why it is necessary to advance beyond legacy systems, as this aids in framing the roadblocks and challenges to be explored later.
WHY EVOLVE FROM LEGACY SYSTEMS?
Legacy systems were developed when ports and terminals were largely manually oper-ated. Given the transition from manual to semi- and fully-automated operations, many terminals are actively pursuing or strongly considering upgrading their IT systems to provide them a path towards streamlined practices that can:
- Mitigate the impact of increased vessel sizes and attendant container volumes
- Facilitate Automation
- Offer “lighter infrastructure” opportunities
- Simplify the complexity of managing disparate Systems
- Remove costly and cumbersome elements of the wider supply chain.
Further still, upgrading systems offers another option for ports to increase capacity. Rather than building new infrastructure, which is a highly expensive and very difficult proposition for the modern port in a heavily built-up conurbation, upgrading systems offer the potential to meet their growth requirements in an IT-based process. This option has been undertaken by the Port of Hamburg, which aims to double capacity, but not space, by 2025. INFORM’s add-on AI and optimization software modules in Hamburg play a significant role in projects where the aim is to increase capacity without adding new physical infrastructure.
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