2023-07-27 19:57:48
The technological evolution needs of the ports collide with the global need for a less bureaucratic, faster and more modern freight. This is because, according to a survey by CNI (Companhia Nacional da Indústria), 92% of the companies that participated in the survey said that the cost of international shipping was their biggest obstacle. This sparked an alert for the need to look at the cost and, more especially, how this cargo transport, mostly done by sea, might be optimized.
Making the cost of operations more profitable requires investments and, therefore, technology companies are making efforts to make the port environment less dependent on man. Dutch startup Rocsys, for example, created a robotic arm which will be tested in the North American sector and might revolutionize the sector. But all this automation, whether through technologies or strategies, requires qualified professionals to think, operationalize and execute these next steps.
Vinícius Lima, an engineer with a decade of experience in automation, points out the main benefits that such technological advances bring to the sector:
– Increased operational efficiency: When more of a process is automated, there is less chance of errors. When a port unit invests in automation, it actually minimizes the chances of errors that can occur when the process is still manual. This decreases re-engineering and increases quality throughout the process.
– Agility in processes: an automated process greatly speeds up operational efficiency. When a truck is going to be loaded and this truck already has a pre-registration of its tonnage, the loading process becomes more agile, as the system already knows how many batches it will take to load the entire truck.
– Reduction of logistical bottlenecks: using a process system such as Lean, it is possible to see where the errors are and, thus, apply correct techniques and systems, causing this bottleneck to decrease.
– Intelligent use of data and information: cargo movement can be controlled in several ways, such as RFID Tags for example. Incorrect management of loads causes them to remain in stock for a long time and, if that happens, the system triggers a signal to the operator that it is time for this load to be dispatched.
– Improved security level: the monitoring of areas where equipment and people move is one of the areas that benefit the most, as it uses sensors that identify that there are people near the equipment, causing it to slow down or even stop moving completely of the load.
– Reduction of long-term operating costs: at first, investment in automation is high, but over the years it becomes evident that it brings cost reduction within the process. Preventing loads from being stored for too long or an accident that was avoided because of the investment in an anti-collision system are practical and real examples of the importance of this investment.
A provider of open logistics platform NSTECH, in recent researchfound that the difficulty of digitalization (50%) and integration of activities along the chain (48%) are the main bottlenecks that port automation needs to solve. “Automation can help the chain from manufacturing, storage, handling and delivery of the product to the end customer. At each stage, it is possible to implement an automatic system that provides greater production control, more efficient storage, more integrated logistics and faster delivery”, explains Lima.
According to the Port Statistical Yearbook of the National Waterway Transport Agency (ANTAQ), in 2022, the Brazilian port sector handled 1.209 billion tons. The volume of transported cargo also raises concerns regarding accidents involving containers. “Many accidents within these areas might be avoided by automating the process, and not necessarily excluding labor. A movement of containers, for example, instead of leaving the decision of collision or not to crash in the hands of the operator, can be avoided through sensors that help in the maneuver and avoid collisions”, completes the specialist.
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