Railport Arad

From a Legacy System to a New Terminal Operating System

Railport Arad S.R.L. is modernising and expanding its intermodal container terminal. Part of this undertaking is the move to a new terminal operating system (TOS). The legacy system in use so far is to be replaced by smartTOS and extended with new interfaces. Evolit won the official tender and has been supporting Railport Arad S.R.L. with the implementation since the project began.

Starting Point

The starting point of the project is the modernisation and expansion of the terminal. The legacy system in use automates parts of the workflows. Other steps are still carried out manually.

The operators involved send their loading lists by email in different formats. There is no jointly agreed format. Railport Arad S.R.L. therefore transfers parts of the transmitted data into Excel lists itself.

The project starts with the workflows in the terminal. The goal is not only to replace the existing system, but also to digitise the terminal processes further, from the gate through the yard to billing.

Solution

The planned scope of functions covers the terminal’s core processes. These include the management of transport orders, truck gate management, train dispatching, yard and lifting order management, the terminal dashboard as well as billing and reporting.

Three building blocks are particularly relevant:

OCR Integration for Road and Rail

Automated recognition at entry and exit is planned. This is intended to make outbound inspection possible without staff on site in future. At the same time, errors during data capture are to be reduced. For Railport Arad S.R.L. this is the first OCR implementation. It is being delivered together with an external specialist provider.

Self Check-in for Truck Drivers

Registration will run through a new interface in future: drivers enter their data at the terminal themselves. Among other things, the system checks whether the unit to be collected is already in the terminal and whether a storage position or wagon has been assigned. The existing entry monitor is connected and shows who is allowed to drive in.

Self-Service for Forwarders (smartTMS)

Through the portal, forwarders will be able to view their transport orders and inventory information, create deliveries and collections and store licence plates and driver data. Changes made by dispatching in smartTOS are synchronised with the portal.

A crane interface is also planned. Lifting orders are created in smartTOS and appear on the tablet in the crane. Through the interface, the crane system reports back where a unit was actually set down.

Starting on Site: The Kick-off at the Terminal

The project started with a kick-off directly at the terminal. From the project team’s point of view, that was a major factor. Seeing a terminal’s workflows in live operation creates a far more concrete understanding of processes, challenges and requirements than online meetings alone.

So that Railport Arad S.R.L. would not see the solution only at the end of development, smartTOS was made available on a customer test system immediately after the project started. This allows the terminal team to ask questions early, contribute new requirements and try out the modules that are already available. Features still in development go onto the same test system as soon as they are finished.

A Special Project for smartTOS as Well

For smartTOS, Arad is a milestone in several respects. It is the first project outside the DACH region. At the same time, it is the first installation in which the software is operated on premise at the customer’s site. Until now, all smartTOS installations ran in the Evolit cloud.

The requirements from Arad also shape the product itself. The OCR connection, the self-service for drivers and forwarders, the extension of truck gate management, the administration of loading platforms and support for flatracks are being built as part of the project and will become part of the smartTOS standard. For Railport Arad S.R.L. this means: no custom solution that has to be maintained separately, but functions that are developed further along with the product. That terminals differ in their workflows (by site, customer structure and established working practices) is factored in from the outset.

Outlook: From the Test System into Everyday Terminal Operations

The solution is currently in development. Production operation is still pending. The roll-out is planned in several phases. First, the smartTOS core and the crane interface will be implemented. The OCR connection and the billing module will follow.

In the medium term, the expectation is automated inbound processes for trucks, outbound inspection with less staff involvement and fewer capture errors, and a better data basis for operational and strategic decisions.

We will continue to accompany the project and report on the results.