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When the TOS tide comes in, all the boats foat. It isn’t hard to see why.

ter years of experience as the technology division for Carrix, Inc., space is the integrated ability to leverage ‘big data’ produced by ter- which operates in more than 250 locations worldwide. With this minal operations. This enables marine and intermodal terminal op- experience and technical expertise, Tideworks has helped shape erators to gain visibility and valuable insight into operational data the evolution of TOS into what it is today. to make more informed, real-time decisions and thereby increase

In the early 1990s, there was a push to get off mainframe systems operational effciencies and optimize the utilization of assets. and advance to more modern solutions. During this time, there was For example, Tideworks Insight, a real-time and historical data also incredible software innovation taking place outside of the ter- platform for terminal operations, has paved the way for operators minal operating space. As technology stacks continued to modern- to drill into TOS data as well as integrate data sets from third-par- ize, so too did terminal operators’ desire for more features and func- ty technology systems gaining visibility into how those systems tionality to help effectively manage and automate their operations. and their operation are performing.

For TOS, automation really began with planning system capa- We have always worked to provide our customers with next bilities to improve vessel and rail load planning, replacing “chits” generation TOS solutions. In fall 2019, we will launch an update and other manual methods. In Tideworks case, Spinnaker Planning to our current, core marine TOS product, Mainsail, providing cus-

Management System helped provide comprehensive planning and tomers with the next iteration of innovation.

improve productivity and inventory accuracy. The evolution of Marine and intermodal terminal operators are not the only play-

TOS continued with the digitalization of equipment dispatch sys- ers in the supply chain where Tideworks is involved. Through our tems (Tideworks Traffc Control), which optimizes the execution joint venture partnership, Advent Intermodal Solutions, we also of instructions to container handling equipment operators. provide Port Community Systems and a host of other solutions

More recently the progression of TOS has been around apply- focused on bringing value to trucking companies, BCOs and oth- ing new technologies to help operators with data visualization and ers in the supply chain. business intelligence to help them make informed, real-time op- erational decisions. The industry continues to develop and deploy Give us some measurable metrics as to where and how your cutting-edge technology solutions, and we are at the forefront of TOS solution has made a difference for customers.

these advancements. Speed, effciency and transparency are all One case study involves he implementation of Tideworks In- requirements of today’s operators in order to meet customer de- sight solution with Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT) in mands, maintain proftability and provide ROI to shareholders. Panama. MIT offers an array of handling services, providing con- nectivity to 129 ports in 48 countries. After leveraging Tideworks

How many terminals/customers does Tideworks have today Insight, MIT was able to merge data from its TOS, Automated in the global intermodal supply chain? Stacking Cranes (ASCs) and third-party systems. This gave MIT

Currently, more than 120 marine and intermodal terminal facil- a holistic view of their operations, which allowed them to iden- ities around the world utilize Tideworks’ solutions to load vessels tify new opportunities to drive performance and positive margin and trains, track containers, manage payments and invoicing, and growth. We can also point to Crowley, who, after deploying Tide- run their operations more effciently. works’ TOS solutions under our SaaS model, was able to decrease gate turn times by nearly 40 percent in the case of one terminal.

Improvements in technology are impacting terminal opera- tors, container owners and other players in the global supply Talk about best practices for operators to consider when as- chain. Tell us where Tideworks is involved in that process. sessing cloud-based TOS solutions and their benefts. Why

Customer expectations around service levels and increased vis- should a terminal choose a cloud-based solution over a lo- ibility throughout the supply chain are requiring terminal operators cal, internal server setup?

to invest in new technologies just to keep pace. From our perspec- Like other industries, the growth of cloud computing is infu- tive, one of the more recent and pivotal changes in TOS technology encing the terminal operating landscape. With the increased pres- www.maritimelogisticsprofessional.com 15

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