Change Agent 4:
Re-engineering the intermodal yard, the container yard, and the ocean
terminals by increasing density on current properties is the next
generation "throughput goal" for intermodal yards. Current
material-handling systems for container and intermodal yards are based
on rubber tire gantry (RTG) and straddle crane technologies. These
systems are limited in their "reach" and are generally deployed to
support building or unloading a single-unit
train-to-truck/hostler-supported chassis. While multiple gantry cranes
can operate over one train, they generally are limited to one rail
track and one line of trucks/chassis for loading or unloading.
New
wide-load gantry cranes, also known as rail-mounted gantry (RMG)
cranes, are emerging as an alternative to current mechanical choices
for intermodal, terminal, and ocean terminal operations. The RMG's
cranes can straddle up to six rail lines (which can be closer together
than with traditional RTG cranes), two or three truck feeder lanes, and
up to 10 rows of stacked boxes. The RMGs can reach boxes stacked on
either side of the crane to build out future rail loads or export loads
for the ocean carrier. These new cranes operate utilizing superior
technology that allows the terminal/yard to more than double the
throughput per acre over the more traditional operations utilizing RTG
cranes and wheel-parking operations.
The new RMG systems have
been developed to make every phase of the operation more efficient from
an operational and cost perspective. These cranes are electrically
powered and include a high level of automation. While it costs nearly
three times as much as the RTGs, the RMG technology maximizes movement
between each mode of transportation to eliminate the need for chassis
and hostlers, reduce labor costs, improve safety, reduce acres required
for the facility, and increase throughput of the facility by over 100
percent.
Change Agent 5:
New protocols for managing container yards are emerging and provide an
improvement for container per acre usage in terminals and intermodal
yards. While these technologies are emerging as first choice for marine
terminals, these systems will migrate to intermodal terminals in the
near future. Automation for a container terminal is comprised of
robotically controlled RTG/gantry systems that - when combined with
automated "container picking" and "container put-away" logic - provide
the terminal operator with a more efficient operation, the ability to
operate 24/7, lower labor costs, and higher use of land for storage and
stacking containers. The new Maersk-affiliated container terminal in
Portsmouth, Va., which began operations in August 2007, is utilizing a
highly automated, computerized terminal that promises to revolutionize
the local container shipping industry. Some of the equipment that will
be incorporated in this high-tech facility includes six large 110-ton
container cranes on the wharf; approximately 30 unmanned, rail-mounted,
computer-controlled gantries; and a smaller number of wheeled manned
gantries.
Change Agent 6:
China is in the process of constructing 18 inland intermodal logistics
export hubs. What possible impact will this have on domestic intermodal
traffic and why? Currently, most cargo moving from China is
consolidated or stuffed at port locations, not at the inland origin
factory site. This process is changing as China's inland transportation
system continues to evolve. Its system will increase dramatically in
efficiency when the intermodal export hubs are completed and goods are
transported from deep inland China via the rail to ocean terminals for
loading onto carriers. This intermodal system will provide access to
lower-cost labor and increase transportation efficiencies. It will also
provide added security for cargo as it will be loaded and sealed at the
points of origin, which will provide a more secure system and increased
visibility when linked to China's rail carriers' train-management
systems. China's ability to streamline supply chains, improve security,
and reduce costs leads us to predict another level of cargo flow on
container ships that needs to be unloaded at our ports and transported
to inland destinations, adding significant strain to an already
stressed infrastructure.
These change agents will not happen all
at once, but taken in context, the intermodal system of today will be
different in many ways in the future, and the importers ability to
provide security and have accountable visibility (and therefore
increased efficiency and flexibility) will evolve until the next
supply-chain improvement increments are implemented. In the short term,
the key question remains, "Where do the boxes stop?" The answer is the
same real estate answer, "Location, location, location."
