Pioneerism: technology developed by Santos Brasil increases productivity at Tecon

06/10/2011

A new cargo weighing system in the RTG cranes which handle containers in the Tecon Santos yard has helped the terminal beat record after record for productivity this year. Previously, containers could only be weighed on conventional scales; now, however, they can be weighed by the  actual equipment used to move the cargo. Thus, one step has been removed from the process, thereby reducing handling time.

Washington Flores, head of Tecon Santos, confirms that the solution was designed by Santos Brasil in conjunction with mechanical and automation system suppliers and works through weight measurement sensors added to the RTG traction cables.  These cells are certified by the National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology (Inmetro) and automatically weigh with the same precision as conventional scales.  The data are transmitted by the differential global positioning system (DGPS) to the terminal monitoring center, which processes the information in real time.  Thanks to the integration of the weighing system with the RTGs, the terminal now has 19 machines for weighing imported containers, versus only four previously.  

In August, Tecon Santos recorded its highest ever productivity: 80.38 MPH (container movements per hour) per ship in the month, almost 40% more than the 58.05 MPH recorded in January.  The new system, as well as investments in staff training, technological upgrades and new equipment, all contributed to this achievement.

Throughout the 14 years that Santos Brasil has operated the Tecon Santos public concession, it has invested R$1.9 billion in the terminal.  Of this total, around R$800 million went to new technology and equipment such as the super cranes, which can handle two 40-foot or four 20-foot full containers simultaneously; replacing the yard handling equipment with rubber-tired gantry cranes (RTGs); and substituting flatbed trucks with terminal tractors, specially developed for transporting containers inside terminals. In addition to reducing operating costs , these initiatives also had a positive impact on the reduction of CO2 emissions.