LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PierPass Inc. today launched the Free-Flow Program, testing a new cargo-handling action accepted to decidedly abate the time it takes accommodating trucks to aces up containers at abyssal terminals.
Today's random-access action – area any barter can appearance up at any time to aces up any alembic – hasn't afflicted back containerization began in the aboriginal 1960's. With new, beyond ships auction as abounding as 5,000 containers at a time, the random-access action is creating ability challenges at above ports about the world.
The free-flow action enables aggregate commitment of ample groups of containers acceptance to the aforementioned burden owner, trucking aggregation or acumen company.
"To accumulate burden abounding bound as ships abound anytime larger, we charge to change how we move containers," said PierPass President and CEO Bruce Wargo. "Doing the aforementioned things incrementally faster won't break bottleneck pressures."
Mr. Wargo added, "How chock-full would LAX or JFK be if every auto came for one specific actuality rather than acrimonious up the aboriginal in line? That's how the accepted alembic burden arrangement works."
Under the Free-Flow Program, PierPass is alive with accommodating terminals, trucking companies and burden owners to analysis free-flow, admeasurement its appulse on burden acceleration and costs, and apprentice what methods and assets are bare to run free-flow successfully. If the testing demonstrates decidedly absolute results, free-flow is accepted to become a approved allotment of terminal operations.
In a archetypal case, a ample banker that has 80 or added containers accession on a distinct abode will align free-flow commitment with the abyssal terminal. In added cases, a trucking or acumen aggregation can align for free-flow by accumulation groups of containers from assorted burden owners.
Under the accepted system, back terminals unload containers from accession ships they accumulation them into endless in the adjustment they appear off the ship. Back trucks access and appeal a specific container, it has to be amid and dug out of a assemblage that can be four or bristles containers aerial and six containers deep. Container-handling accessories like rubber-tired gantry cranes (RTGs) charge move an boilerplate of three containers to dig a specific alembic out of the assemblage and bear it to a cat-and-mouse truck. As a result, one RTG can bear an boilerplate of alone eight to ten containers per hour. Using the free-flow process, a tophandler crane is accepted to bear as abounding as 20 containers per hour.
The free-flow action starts back a abode is actuality unloaded. All containers claimed by a distinct owner, trucking aggregation or acumen provider are accumulated into a abstracted stack. The burden buyer or its adumbrative again sends a beck of trucks into the abyssal terminal through a appropriate lane, and anniversary barter takes the abutting alembic in the stack.
Trial runs of free-flow accept apparent a ambit of after-effects and are allowance terminal operators and trucking companies apprentice how to best anatomy the process. At best, trucking companies accept appear about-face times as abbreviate as 11 minutes, compared to about 45 annual for a archetypal transaction.
Terminal operators accept that free-flow ability eventually annual for as abundant as 30% of burden moves. While the trucks accommodating in free-flow will see the best affecting improvement, the action should accept a spillover account to the blow of the trucks, by abbreviation the cardinal of trucks in the RTG lanes.
"While free-flow isn't a argent ammo to fix all bottleneck issues, we accept it can decidedly account anchorage users," Mr. Wargo said. "Terminal operators will abide to innovate how they handle growing burden volumes, to ensure that the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach abide the best reliable and advantageous in North America."
For added advice about the Free-Flow Program, see Rule 14 in the West Coast MTO Agreement's Abyssal Terminal Schedule No. 1, accessible at http://www.pierpass.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/wcmtoa-10-8-schedule.pdf.
About PierPass
PierPass is a not-for-profit aggregation created by abyssal terminal operators at the Anchorage of Los Angeles and Anchorage of Long Beach in 2005 to abode multi-terminal issues such as congestion, air affection and security. To apprentice what it takes for a barter to bead off or aces up a alembic at a abyssal terminal, see http://youtu.be/P9IJN1yIIJ4. For added information, amuse see www.pierpass.org.
Title : PierPass Announces Free-Flow Program to Speed Cargo Through Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach
Description : LONG BEACH, Calif.--( BUSINESS WIRE )--PierPass Inc. today launched the Free-Flow Program, testing a new cargo-handling action accepted to...