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ICT FOCUS
WorldCargo
news
SmartTurn nGen roll out continues
proves a
Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) is mak- configurability to “pave the way for a large-
ing steady progress in developing its in- scale roll-out to the ports in the HPH net-
house TOS, nGen, into an application that work that are still using other systems.”
can be configured for any of its 49 global Some of the most modern functional-
point
terminals. ity, such as Twin 40, handling was devel-
There are now seven terminals using oped for the first installation (YICT) but
nGen: Hongkong International Terminals other terminals have different requirements.
Warehouse management solutions (WMS) and COSCO-HIT Terminals, Yantian In- HPH is now developing a “customised”
provider SmartTurn has taken an applica- ternational Container Terminals (YICT), version for semi-automated yard cranes,
tion originally developed out of Navis Gydnia Container Terminal, Thai Laem which it plans to implement at Terminal
SPARCS and turned it into a successful Chabang Terminal and Hutchison Laem Cataluña (TERCAT) in Spain. TERCAT
software as a service (SaaS) business. Chabang Terminal in Thailand, and Oman is next in the pipeline of nGen roll-outs
Navis began developing the Smart- International Container Terminal. along with JICT in Jakarta and SITV in
Turn application in 2005, leveraging the nGen is based on open platform tech- Vietnam. a74
Java platform it developed for Navis De- nologies such as Java and XML and since
pot and then SPARCS N4. SmartTurn it was launched five years ago HPH has
HPH has now implemented nGen in seven
was spun off when Navis was sold to been working to simplify the applications terminals with three more to go live shortly
Zebra Technologies in 2007 and is
headed by former Navis vice president
Jim Burleigh. The actual SmartTurn ap-
plications no longer shares any code with
Navis SPARCS N4 but uses software
tools Navis developed to manage com-
plex security relationships around the in-
formation on tracked assets.
SmartTurn has gained a lot of atten-
tion from the wider IT industry because
of its success in attracting 150 customers
who are using the software on the SaaS
model. The WMS market, much like the
TOS market, is dominated by traditional
licensed enterprise applications installed on
the site and custom-integrated with other
business and accounting applications.
SmartTurn has every single one of its
customers running on the same instance
of the software - there are no unique ver-
sions for individual clients - which they
access over the Internet. The integration
issue has not presented a problem and cus-
tomers have integrated with applications
such as QuickBooks and SAP.
The SaaS model, says Burleigh, gives
SmartTurn true economies of scale and
while the company needs more custom-
ers to be profitable, it has grown rapidly
and has a market of over 500,000 ware-
houses in the US alone to target. A key
part of SmartTurn’s appeal is its very low
cost; the monthly fee for a basic system
starts at US$500 and for an enterprise
system US$800.
Burleigh is well placed to comment on
whether SaaS would work in the marine
terminal environment and notes that while
it is “technologically possible” for even large
marine terminals to buy software as a serv-
ice, market realities mean it is very unlikely We add the “E” to your RTG
to happen. The container terminal market
is low volume from an enterprise software
perspective, with a small number of termi-
nal operators that are much bigger than
Electrification of Rubber Tyred Gantries
the software companies that serve them.
Terminals use their position to demand
customised applications and vendors have
to oblige to stay competitive.
For the smallest terminals and con- Converting a conventional RTG into an electrical
tainer depots that are not in this position,
however, SaaS makes a great deal of sense.
one (E-RTG
TM
) means to shut down the diesel
These businesses have always struggled
generator and to power the RTG with electrical
with the cost of a full enterprise applica-
tion and vendors have been equally chal-
power only. This conversion is now made possib-
lenged to find ways of delivering very
similar functionality at a reduced price.
le with two different complete RTG electric power
In fact, some small terminals and DCs
solutions developed by Conductix-Wampfler:
actually use much cheaper WMS prod-
ucts to manage cargo inventory.
Motorized Cable Reel Solution and Conductor
Earlier attempts at application delivery
E-RTG
TM
through the web met with very little suc-
Bar Solution.
cess. In 2003, Navis launched Depot, a web-
with Conductor Bar
based product for smaller terminals and
Solution
depots, that it tried to market as SaaS. Other
Conductix-Wampfl er... let us help you
companies including Maher Terminals
Logistics Systems and GTS (with its e- Conduct Your Business
Term) also tried Internet based systems
using SaaS or the Application Service Pro-
vider model, where a customer-unique
www.conductix.com
application is hosted by the vendor and
accessed over the Internet, model but were
not successful. Burleigh says terminals were
uncomfortable with accessing their appli-
cations over the Internet, but that is less of
a concern today as Internet infrastructure
is more reliable.
E-RTG
TM
For SmartTurn, however, the future is
with Motorized Cable
not marine terminals but “the next step
outside the gate” ie DCs. Many of these
Reel Solution
currently use a closed IT system and are a
“black hole” to other players in the trans-
port community, such as marine terminals
that could better plan their own operations
with better access to information on DC
Visit us! Booth E2
A S I A
activity. “We can interface with marine ter-
www.toc-events.com
minals and tie it together” says Burleigh. a74
February 2009 25
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