APAC Issue 7 2018

14 APAC / Issue 7 2018 , The introduction of the vehicle booking system A common theme was the lack of communication between the ports and the carriers with trucks arriving without any pre-warning to the port. This resulted in congestion, equipment demand exceeding supply during key parts of the day, and resulting in huge inefficiencies across the supply chain. Change was required which came in the form of a capacity management and forward planning system now known as the vehicle booking system (VBS). The VBS to Australia was introduced in the mid-80s by Patrick Melbourne. A manual paper process allowed carriers/ hauliers to book ahead for the hour they wished to pick up their goods, which was eventually enhanced with the introduction of dial-up internet. Smooth Access Ports with 1-Stop Containerisation rapidly changed the landscape of the supply chain and alongside its significant benefits, so came the respective impacts of the new supply chain. What started as infrequent and small vessels quickly grew to the large vessels we see today and of course, the landside congestion increased with the associated need for infrastructure. At the beginning and due to the short opening hours of Container Terminals, carriers/hauliers would often queue all day and when they didn’t gain entry to a terminal, they would simply leave their trucks in the line and sleep - ready to try again the next day. It wasn’t long before the industry needed to address the queues and the port congestion, but initial efforts were not very successful. The next iteration of the VBS eliminated calls to the terminals but containerised volumes grew rapidly requiring further innovation. The next big step then came through online systems connected to the Terminal Operating System (TOS). Whilst this was a big step, the industry still lacked validation, visibility and smooth access into a Port. Paperless and automated: the introduction of 1-Stop 1-Stop was born to provide the necessary digital infrastructure that could transform the containerised supply chain and make life easier. Alongside our continuous innovation and development of the VBS to remove congestion, 1-Stop became a hub of Business-to- Business (B2B) messages that connected the supply chain in invaluable ways. Efficiency and optimisation became apparent in all terminals connected to the VBS and across the supply chain with implementation occurring in all Australian ports. “By the industry, for the industry” https://www.1-stop.biz/customer- stories/ Standard paper documents such as Export Receive Advice and Import Delivery Orders quickly became paperless, and with paperless documentation came information that was sent faster, validated, and error free. The paperless solution was quickly implemented and adopted across all major container ports within Australia. Efficient and optimised The birth of 1-Stop in 2002 also created what is known today as a port community system (PCS). The VBS solved the main problem, reducing port congestion and eliminating truck queues. With its forward planning, ports and carriers/ hauliers could better plan, 1706AP06 manage, and optimise their own assets resulting in higher utilisation. Truck turnaround times went from 91 mins to 15 mins in some terminals, while the number of truck trips per day increased from 1 to as many as 4 or 5 a day – up to a 500% increase in utilisation. The VBS with paperless and standardised documentation generated further benefits. With a standard now established, data could now be validated and rejected if incorrect which resulted in the elimination of futile trips. Further, Beneficial Cargo Owners (BCO) could now automatically generate the paperless documentation from their system, which would be validated and passed through to the Terminal if correct; effectively reducing the time consuming manual documentation process and the associated errors that may arise. Greater connectivity arrives Whilst step changes were