Improving Real-time Warehouse Hub & Hub-Port Productivity: How Can We Gain Full Visibility of Warehouse Hub Operations, Facilities and Assets Utilization?
Key Focus Area:
Smart Maritime Services and Supply Chain
As a supply chain orchestrator, apart from overseeing cargo and container flow, PSA also serves as a hub operator, managing a multi-tenanted warehouse.
Currently, there is no integrated system that allows real-time visibility on how assets are utilised. Instead, existing systems of tracking resources rely on non-integrated CCTVs, WhatsApp, and physical coordination. Better control over service levels will benefit users and can support service agreements in bundling value-added services such as space brokering, job pooling, and permit documentation.
Challenges
The warehouses and hauliers work with lists of containers that have two days lookahead but may not share real-time visibility on the physical assets and conditions. They rely on phone or email communications, which can result in various inefficiencies. For example, at the docking bay, scenarios may include:
- Haulier arrived with container but there is no available docking bay
- Haulier arrived to truck out container, but it is not ready
- Empty docking bay waiting for container to arrive
- Container ready to truck out from docking bay but haulier has not arrived
Desired Outcome
Possible solution spaces may be web-based apps or digital performance monitoring systems acting as a real-time “control tower” or marketplace, integrating data from CCTV video feeds, files, photos, chats, etc., to better match demand with supply, while also handling exceptions. In addition, PSA is keen to offer a data-driven differentiated service that enhances the efficiency of Container Freight Station operations while reducing carbon emissions.
The digital solution will lend itself well to marketplace services that PSA is seeking to provide, such as:
– A broker for sharing of physical resources
– A master service provider to offer common services
– A marketplace for Cargo Consolidators and Freight Forwarders to sell cargo space in containers
Successful solutions should ideally:
Address user behaviours and concerns, such as shippers who might not be willing to share space due to competitive concerns.
The marketplace must interoperate not only between physical (e.g., CCTV vehicles) and digital systems (e.g., contracts, permits), but should be compatible for external service providers to access and feed real-time information into the platform
– Allow easy and secure integration to existing warehouse systems
– Be equipped with intelligence to draw insights from the data
Market Potential
Various operational aspects could be addressed, such as
– Docking bay and parking bay availability
– Movement of hauliers and trailers
– Container, pallet, and cargo volume, content, location, handling requirements
– Warehouse Hub heatmap
– Market pricing to enable resource and job pooling, and selling space
– Management interventions
Call for Proposals for this Innovation Opportunity is now closed.
