APS Technology Expands in Europe With Automated Marine Terminal Solutions

SAN DIEGO, March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- 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.

SOURCE APS Technology Group, Inc.