News Release: June 30, 2010

Contact: Allen Thomas, +1 704.442.5554 ext. 101

Email:  allen@aps-technology.com

APS Technology and Zebra Enterprise Solutions Partner to Increase Gate Velocity and Security for Gulf Stevedoring

OCR technology will automate container processing to support doubling of terminal volumes

San Diego, CA – APS Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of optical character recognition (OCR) and automation technology solutions for marine and intermodal terminals, announced Gulf Stevedoring Contracting Company (GSCCO) of Saudi Arabia will implement the APS OCR Portal and driver kiosks to automate container identification, remote damage inspection and truck processing at its Jeddah and Jubail terminals.  APS is partnering with Zebra Enterprise Solutions (ZES), a division of Zebra Technologies (NASDAQ: ZBRA), to integrate the APS solutions with ZES’ SPARCS N4 terminal operating system (TOS) and Autogate System.  The ZES TOS uses OCR technology to automatically identify marine containers as they enter and exit the facility, increasing velocity at the gate and security within the terminal. 

GSCCO is operating three of the largest ports in Saudi Arabia and is in the process of developing the Northern Container Terminal (NCT) in Jeddah Islamic Port, which is the country’s busiest port.  The company will implement APS Technology OCR Portals and driver kiosks over ten lanes in Jeddah and five lanes in Jubail Container Terminal to eliminate gate congestion, increase throughput and reduce the chance of container theft.  The ability to more fully automate gate operations will support the anticipated doubling of terminal volumes.

“We decided to add gate automation to provide a more systematic process to decrease truck dwell time and improve the quality of the gate process for our customers,” said Saud Al Onani, Terminal’s Manager for GSCCO.  “We pride ourselves in using the latest methods of management and the most state of the art technology in all aspects of our operations.  Our gate automation with APS and Zebra Enterprise Solutions will be the first of its kind in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

“We are very pleased to work with Zebra Enterprise Solutions on the GSCCO project.  The close integration between our systems provides a seamless flow of data for customers and enhanced visibility into operations,” said Allen Thomas, APS Technology COO.

About Gulf Stevedoring Contracting Company

Founded in 1985, GSCCO has won a succession of prestigious port projects throughout Saudi Arabia against opposition from larger and longer established rivals demonstrating its competitiveness and efficiency.  The company handles over 1.8 million TEU’s annually. After the completion of the new expansion of NCT in 2010 and the Jubail Container Terminal, GSCCO became the biggest container terminal operator in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  For more information, visit www.gscco-sa.com.

About Zebra Enterprise Solutions
Zebra Enterprise Solutions, a division of Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA), extends Zebra’s reach beyond passive RFID by employing state-of-the-art software and hardware solutions to locate, track, manage, and optimize high-value assets, equipment and people across the world’s largest supply chains. Whether tracking containers through a port, optimizing parts for manufacturing, or managing ground support equipment at an airport, the real-time asset management solutions from the combination of Navis, WhereNet, proveo, and Multispectral Solutions provide improved visibility and velocity to gain measurable business improvements. Utilizing products that are based on ISO/IEC 24730-2, Cisco CCX Wi-Fi, precision GPS, and UWB technologies, Zebra Enterprise Solutions offers a wide range of location solutions that are “application matched,” enabling its customers to put the right asset in the right place at the right time. For more information about Zebra Enterprise Solutions visit http://www.zebra.com/zes.

About APS Technology Group

APS Technology Group is a leading provider of OCR and automation technology solutions for marine and intermodal terminals.  The solutions improve the productivity, efficiency and cost effectiveness of container operations by increasing the visibility, velocity, and volume of cargo moving through a terminal’s gate, rail, vessel and yard operations.

APS leads the industry with over 700 OCR and automation systems installed at 35 marine and intermodal container terminals in ten countries around the world, including APM Terminals, CSX Railroad, and HHLA.  The company is located in San Diego, CA and has offices or partner resellers in North America, South America, Asia and Europe. For more information, call +1 858.571.4444 or visit http://www.aps-technology.com.

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Container OCR technology will automate identification and tracking of rail cars and their containers

San Diego, CA – APS Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of optical character recognition (OCR) and automation technology solutions for marine and intermodal terminals, announced CSX Intermodal will implement the APS Rail OCR Portal and Rail Tracking Systems at a new intermodal terminal being built within its network in North Baltimore, OH. The comprehensive rail yard automation system uses OCR technology to automatically identify container-laden rail cars as they enter and exit the facility, and will track the railcars within the facility. The real-time visibility will provide CSX Intermodal with increased throughput and increased cargo velocity.

CSX Intermodal will implement four APS Technology Rail OCR and Inspection Portals, and the APS Rail Tracking System to identify railcars and containers and to maintain equipment inventory on key yard tracks. The systems will be closely integrated with the Tideworks terminal operating system, Kuenz wide-span gantry cranes and Railcomm automated switch control systems to provide an automatic, seamless flow of equipment and visibility data throughout the operations. The company will gain real-time command and control by enabling confirmation of planned events and visibility to exceptions or unplanned events as they happen.

“The APS solution will help us maximize efficiencies in the yard equipment and systems. We will be able to better utilize the capabilities of the cranes and terminal operating system, improving productivity and throughput overall,” said Paul Hand, General Manager, CSX Intermodal, North Region.

“The intermodal rail industry is experiencing a resurgence as shipping companies are looking for alternatives to truck and air options to lower costs to their customers,” said Allen Thomas, APS Technology COO. “To handle this recent growth, companies such as CSX Intermodal are recognizing the productivity and cost management benefits that automation and OCR technology can provide them.”

About APS Technology Group
APS Technology Group is a leading provider of OCR and automation technology solutions for marine and intermodal terminals. The solutions improve the productivity, efficiency and cost effectiveness of container operations by increasing the visibility, velocity, and volume of cargo moving through a terminal’s gate, rail, vessel and yard operations.

APS leads the industry with over 700 OCR and automation systems installed at 35 marine and intermodal container terminals in ten countries around the world, including APM Terminals, CSX Railroad, DP World and HHLA.  The company is located in San Diego, CA and has offices or partner resellers in North America, South America, Asia and Europe. For more information, call +1 858.571.4444 or visit http://www.aps-technology.com.

Contact: Allen Thomas, +1 704.442.5554 ext. 101
Email: allen@aps-technology.com

One-on-one assessment will evaluate current efficiency and potential for gains with gate, vessel and OCR technology

San Diego, CA – APS Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of optical character recognition (OCR) and automation technology solutions for marine and intermodal terminals, announced it will be raffling ten free ten-hour consultations and productivity assessments for terminal operators attending the Terminal Operators Conference in Europe (TOC Europe), June 8-10, 2010, in Valencia, Spain.

“Terminal operators are searching for proven methods to lower operating costs and increase productivity and cargo velocity,” said Russ Scheppmann, APS Technology CEO. “OCR and process automation systems can provide a fast return on investment by increasing throughput capacity and reducing bottlenecks. We are offering a series of in-depth business value assessments to give a clear picture of current capacity, productivity and profitability compared to their potential with adding gate, vessel and yard automation.”

Interested operators may email the company to register for the free ROI analysis to matt@aps-technology.com.

Allen Thomas, Chief Operating Officer for APS, will be presenting at the TOC Europe Innovation Forum seminar series. Thomas’ presentation, “OCR & Operational Process Control: Standardise, centralise and optimise operations” is Thursday, June 8 at 2pm. The TOC Innovation Forum is located on the exhibition floor and is free to attendees.

About APS Technology Group
APS Technology Group is a leading provider of OCR and automation technology solutions for marine and intermodal terminals. The solutions improve the productivity, efficiency and cost effectiveness of container operations by increasing the visibility, velocity, and volume of cargo moving through a terminal’s gate, rail, vessel and yard operations.

APS leads the industry with over 700 OCR and automation systems installed at 35 marine and intermodal container terminals in ten countries around the world, including APM Terminals, CSX Railroad, DP World and HHLA. The company is located in San Diego, CA and has offices or partner resellers in North America, South America, Asia and Europe. For more information, call +1 858.571.4444 or visit http://www.aps-technology.com.

Contact: Allen Thomas, +1 704.442.5554 ext. 101
Email: allen@aps-technology.com

San Diego, CA – APS Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of optical character recognition (OCR) and automation technology solutions for marine and intermodal terminals, announced the Port of Houston Authority (PHA) will implement the APS Gate OCR Portal to automate equipment identification, traffic processing and imaging at both its marine terminals in Houston. One of the largest ports in the world, The Port of Houston handles 69.6 percent of the containerized cargo market in the U.S. Gulf, and 95.5 percent of the containers moved through Texas seaports.

PHA will implement fourteen total lanes of Gate OCR at its Bayport and Barbour’s Cut terminals. The APS Gate OCR Portal provides centralized optical character recognition, identification and imaging of equipment exiting the terminals via over-the-road trucks. The system automatically identifies containers, chassis, and license plates associated with the equipment. The APS Gate OCR solution is fully integrated with Navis Express gate system from Zebra Enterprise Solutions to enable the automatic ‘out gate’ function to process the equipment without human interaction. Once installed, PHA customers can verify the status and condition of their cargo using the APS system images linked into the PHA website.

“OCR solutions facilitate faster cargo velocity and have proven to improve a port’s air quality emissions. Decreasing the time trucks spend waiting to exit a terminal and reducing idling time helps lower diesel exhaust that vehicles emit,” said Russ Scheppmann, APS Technology CEO. “This is just another example of The Port of Houston Authority’s progressive leadership in embracing programs that improve productivity while also lowering the environmental impact on the local community.”

About APS Technology Group
APS Technology Group is a leading provider of OCR and automation technology solutions for marine and intermodal terminals. The solutions improve the productivity, efficiency and cost effectiveness of container operations by increasing the visibility, velocity, and volume of cargo moving through a terminal’s gate, rail, vessel and yard operations.

APS leads the industry with over 700 OCR and automation systems installed at 35 marine and intermodal container terminals in ten countries around the world, including APM Terminals, CSX Railroad, DP World and HHLA. The company is located in San Diego, CA and has offices or partner resellers in North America, South America, Asia and Europe. For more information, call +1 858.571.4444 or visit http://www.aps-technology.com.

Contact: Allen Thomas, +1 704.442.5554 ext. 101
Email: allen@aps-technology.com

Deviceless and Device Based Asset Tracking Enhances Global Supply Chain Visibility of Containers, Assets, and Items In-Transit

SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Aankhen Inc. (www.aankhen.com) and APS Technology Group, Inc. (www.aps-technology.com), two of the world’s leading providers of supply chain visibility solutions, today announced that they have partnered to offer the industry’s first and most comprehensive asset tracking solutions leveraging deviceless and device based technologies.

“With Aankhen’s leadership in supply chain visibility software solutions and APS’s OCR technology, we can take existing rail, port and container terminal operations around the world to the next level of efficiency and performance with lower operating costs”

Integrating deviceless technology is an innovative solution addressing the challenges with deploying device based technologies and their adoption in emerging countries. The integrated solution will provide more cost effective and actionable visibility eliminating blind spots in global intermodal supply chain networks. The solution is available for immediate deployment in Defense and Commercial logistics.

Homeland security, Customs and Border Patrol, Rail/Port/Truck/Yard/Terminal Operators, 3PLs, Enterprises, Suppliers and Customer users will now have access to new sources of factual data, eliminating bad data, data latency and ‘versions of truth’ to make better, faster and smarter decisions.

“With APS’s deployment of proven OCR technology at Gates, Yards, Vessels and Rail complements Aankhen’s physical supply chain visibility solution SeeTrak™ adding new capabilities and opportunities to enhance device based asset tracking using RFID/GPS/GPRS/Sensor technologies with deviceless OCR based tracking to see and respond to global supply chain events,” said Subhash Chowdary, CEO of Aankhen Inc.

“With Aankhen’s leadership in supply chain visibility software solutions and APS’s OCR technology, we can take existing rail, port and container terminal operations around the world to the next level of efficiency and performance with lower operating costs,” said Russ Scheppmann, President of APS Technology Group, Inc.

About Aankhen
Aankhen Inc. is a leading provider of next generation Supply Chain 2.0 Physical and Financial supply chain visibility solutions, consulting and development services. Physical supply chain visibility solutions from Aankhen use device and deviceless technologies to track the movement of assets and intermodal containers in real-time with security, environmental and process monitoring. Financial supply chain visibility solutions use Aankhen’s proprietary ‘Shouldbe Cost™’ computations to proactively manage procurement and pricing negotiations globally. Aankhen is a privately held corporation based in San Jose, California, USA. For more information, visit www.aankhen.com

About APS
APS Technology Group is a leading provider of OCR and automation technology solutions for marine and intermodal terminals. The solutions improve the productivity, efficiency and cost effectiveness of container operations by increasing the visibility, velocity, and volume of cargo moving through a terminal’s gate, rail, vessel and yard operations.

APS leads the industry with over 700 OCR and automation systems installed at 35 marine and intermodal container terminals in ten countries around the world, including APM Terminals, CSX Railroad, DP World and HHLA. The company is located in San Diego, CA and has offices and/or partner resellers in North America, South America, Asia and Europe. For more information, call +1 858.571.4444 or visit www.aps-technology.com.

Contacts

For Aankhen:
James Blom, +1 408-387-0083 ext. 209
james@aankhen.com

or

For APS:
Allen Thomas, +1 704-442-5554 ext. 101
allen@aps-technology.com

Automates gate traffic for security, productivity improvements and faster throughput

San Diego, CA – APS Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of optical character recognition (OCR) and automation technology solutions for marine and intermodal terminals, announced Virginia International Terminals (VIT) has implemented the APS Gate OCR Portal to automate container identification and truck license plates for improved security and throughput. VIT operates all the marine terminals within the Virginia Port Authority, and is the third largest container port on the East Coast, handling over one million containers annually.

VIT is modernizing the gates at its Norfolk marine terminal to provide better service to customers and a safer and more secure environment. The first phase of the update included implementing APS Gate OCR Portals over four lanes and integrating the system with the Zebra Enterprise Solutions Navis N4 system. To keep the large-scale gate project on track, the gate OCR solution needed to be installed, turnkey, in 90 days. APS was the only provider who could meet this strict time requirement.

The APS solution captures container numbers and truck chassis numbers automatically, providing storage and retrieval capability the moment they pass through the portal. The pictures captured can be used for inspections, providing a safer environment for employees. Inspectors currently walk around the equipment making visual inspections of containers and equipment. With the APS solution, the containers can be inspected inside the facility from the photos, away from the danger of moving vehicles and large equipment.

“VIT is one of the most sophisticated terminals in the world. We regularly look for new ways to improve processes and handle more volume. Our new gate will allow us to handle higher volumes through faster processes that new technology like optical character recognition will provide,” said David Seale, Director IT for VIT. “APS is a key component in this modernization process.”

The APS solution is also expected to speed turn time for truckers entering and exiting the facility. The check-in process includes three stages, beginning with a security check. Once the next step of the gate modernization is complete, the port police will remotely operate this security check process. Reducing the amount of time at each stage will improve turn time for truckers and enable VIT to handle higher volumes.

About APS Technology Group
APS Technology Group is a leading provider of OCR and automation technology solutions for marine and intermodal terminals. The solutions improve the productivity, efficiency and cost effectiveness of container operations by increasing the visibility, velocity, and volume of cargo moving through a terminal’s gate, rail, vessel and yard operations.

APS leads the industry with over 700 OCR and automation systems installed at 35 marine and intermodal container terminals in ten countries around the world. The company is located in San Diego, CA and has offices or partner resellers in North America, South America, Asia and Europe. For more information, call +1 858.571.4444 or visit http://www.aps-technology.com.

Contact: Allen Thomas, +1 704.442.5554 ext. 101
Email: allen@aps-technology.com

Yilport adds gate, yard and vessel automation to increase productivity, accuracy and volume of cargo

San Diego, CA – APS Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of optical character recognition (OCR) and automation technology solutions for marine and intermodal terminals, today announced its expansion into Europe. Yilport Container Terminal and Port Operators Inc. is implementing APS container automation solutions at its facility in Gebze (near Istanbul), Turkey. Yilport provides container handling, general and liquid cargo handling, and warehouse services; and expects to improve productivity, increase volume and gain real-time cargo visibility with the automation.

Yilport implemented the APS Automated Gate System (AGS) in 2009 to automate the entry and exit of container trucks at its inland depot. The company has increased productivity and turnaround time by automating and remotely controlling traffic at the facility. Based on this success, Yilport chose to add crane and yard automation solutions. The company has limited yard access, which creates challenges in achieving optimum volume levels. With automation, Yilport plans to achieve 20-minute truck turnaround time, and an average of 30 moves per crane per hour.

“Our goal is to provide a valuable service in the growing international shipping market, and to increase our efficiency and productivity by applying state-of-the-art technology,” said Robert Yuksel Yildirim, President and CEO of Yilport. “We have a finite amount of space, so we need automation to increase productivity and accuracy. We are the first terminal in Turkey with automated gate and crane OCR, which will benefit our customers with faster turnaround times, increased capacity and more accurate service.”

APS is installing the solutions on four STS gantry cranes and 18 RTG cranes that will automate the process of identifying containers and their dynamic weights, as well as connecting the data with internal yard tractors during loading and discharge operations. Integration of all system data is linked to Zebra Enterprises (formerly Navis) SPARCS N4 TOS. Yilport is the first container terminal in the world to integrate APS Gate (AGS), Crane OCR and MatchMaker RTG to the Zebra SPARCS solution. Yilport expects to gain the following benefits:

• APS Crane OCR System automatically verifies containers loaded and discharged from gantry cranes, including the weight of each container and the yard tractor associated with the movement. This eliminates the need for containers to be weighed at a scale in the yard prior to parking, and therefore reduces data entry errors, labor and operating costs, and increases crane productivity.
• APS MatchMaker RTG Tractor ID System automatically identifies internal yard tractors during the container load and discharge process, and matches the information between the truck and the container during the handoff process. Once this match occurs, the Zebra system directs the Yilport driver as to where to take the container in real time.
• APS Sure Stow tells the Yilport terminal operator the position on the ship a container came from or is going to.

“Yilport recognizes the competitive edge that automation can give them,” commented APS President, Russ Scheppmann. “Yilport stepped into the Turkish market as the first terminal operator to embrace OCR and gate technology and they are setting the standards of productivity and customer service for all area ports. Yilport came to APS because we are the only provider in the marine terminal industry that offers a full suite of solutions that improve gate, yard and vessel operations.”

About APS Technology Group
APS Technology Group is a leading provider of OCR and automation technology solutions for marine and intermodal terminals. The solutions improve the productivity, efficiency and cost effectiveness of container operations by increasing the visibility, velocity, and volume of cargo moving through a terminal’s gate, rail, vessel and yard operations.

APS leads the industry with over 700 OCR and automation systems installed at 35 marine and intermodal container terminals in ten countries around the world, including APM Terminals, CSX Railroad, DP World and HHLA. The company is located in San Diego, CA and has offices or partner resellers in North America, South America, Asia and Europe. For more information, call +1 858.571.4444 or visit http://www.aps-technology.com.

Contact: Clay Kent, +1 704-442-5554 ext. 102
Email: clay@aps-technology.com

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