A container tracking system for a terminal

Context

Hundreds of times a day a terminal asks where a container stands, which reach stacker is holding it and who moved it last. Before, that data was typed in by hand, after the fact, so the yard and the records drifted apart within a single shift. The yard has a lot of sensors collecting data on how the equipment moves. The system turns that data into the current position and state of every container.

What I built

Container position and movement

• Every container sits on the map at its real position, accurate to the centimetre and updated live.
• Picking a container up, carrying it and setting it down are recorded by the system itself. The operator sees the yard live on the tablet, the manager on their own screen.
• One click on a container shows the key facts about it.
• Every move stays in the history: from where, to where, at what time and by whom.

Reach stacker operator app (a tablet in the cab)

• The operator sees a list of their tasks and gets navigation to the destination set by the task.
• A screen designed for the conditions in the cab: an accidental touch sets nothing off.
• Contactless login with an access card assigned to each operator.
• New tasks from the dispatcher appear on the tablet straight away, with no radio or phone call.

Dispatcher app

• The whole yard as a 3D map: every container and every reach stacker exactly where it stands right now.
• The dispatcher assigns tasks of different kinds: one at a time, in a batch or as a sequence to be done in order.
• Custom zones on the yard map with rules that run automatically.
• Event log, operator accounts and an archive of operations.

Administration app

• Devices, tablets, users and companies in one place.
• Oversight and management of the whole system.
• A ticketing and support system for users.
• Analytics on how the sensors and the system are performing.

Integration with the terminal’s infrastructure

• Scanners at the gate in and gate out add containers to the system and take them off the yard by themselves.
• Import of shipping lists: containers from the documents go into the system without manual entry.
• Interface in Polish, English and Ukrainian, in a light and a dark version.

Outcome

The yard is in order and under full control: the manager knows where every container stands, who moved it and what is happening right now. What matters most to the terminal, though, is what happens during a shift: reach stackers drive straight to the target instead of circling the yard looking for a container. The same crew moves more containers, and the fuel gauge drops more slowly. Same yard, same people, a better number at the end of the month. The system is ready to roll out to further terminals.