The sea port industry is going through a structural change driven by innovation for better management to reduce cost and increase profits. Ports have adopted automation more slowly than comparable sectors. The pace is now starting to accelerate. Automated ports are safer than conventional ones. The number of human related disruptions falls, and performance becomes more predictable. With an increase in vessel types and there SRO’s requiring greater efficiencies, the importance of leveraging a technology like software automation is an urgent need for ports and terminals in order to compete regionally.
A port of the future has 3 defining characteristics which allows it to adapt to the changing environment.
By taking pressure off the terminal’s human workforce operators will be able to get a more holistic and transparent overview of cargo handling activity, enabling them to better manage resources and the movement of containers. Technologies like Port operation automation allows reduction in work increase efficiency that directly impact the revenues of the port.
"SMART is a high tech integrated real time port operations and billing system accessible to core operations which directly increase the profits of the port."