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

August 2009 -The Virginia Port Authority has chosen the APS Truck Gate OCR system for the Norfolk International Terminals (NIT) facility. APS’ proven Container OCR will be integrated with the new “E-Gate” system, which combines security, checking and remote gate control. Fully implemented, the combined solution will allow automatic processing of trucks and equipment through NIT’s gate complex, enhancing the facility’s productivity and security.

November 2008 - APS has been awarded contracts from Ahtna Government Services Corp. to provide Gate OCR systems as part of the Department of Energy’s Megaports Initiative to detect radioactive and nuclear material in international cargo terminals.

May 2008 - APS was awarded a contract to provide its Gate, Crane and Rail OCR automation solutions to Washington United Terminals, an operator for Hyundai in Tacoma, Washington.

April 2008 - APS has been awarded a contract from Mobile Container Terminal (MCT), a joint venture between APM Terminals and CMA/CGM, to install its Automated Gate System (AGS) at the MCT facility in Mobile, AL. The AGS solution combines the widely-deployed APS Gate OCR Portal with the new APS Driver Communication Kiosk. The introduction of the APS Kiosk is the latest addition to a continually evolving suite of products designed to helping its marine container terminal customers to improve their productivity and efficiency through automation. Once deployed, the AGS system will automate the entry and exit of trucks at the gates of the facility, reducing gate transaction time and enhancing throughput capacity. The kiosk will provide the added benefit of enhanced driver security by integrating the automatic reading and authentication of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) card. APS will provide complete data integration to the MCT Host system.

January 2008 - APS has been awarded a contract from Ports America to install their Gate OCR system at the Dundalk Marine Terminal facility in Baltimore, MD. Installation of theAPS Gate system is now complete, and the solution is scheduled to go-live in early January of 2008.Once deployed, the system will automatically identify truck chassis and container numbers in real-time as they enter and exit the facility. The solution will help terminal management more efficiently process the continuing increase in container volumes by reducing gate transaction times and increasing the total throughput capacity of the terminal. APS will provide complete data integration to the Navis Express systems.