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Enhancing Terminal Business

Performance

New levels of profitability can be achieved with modern terminal
management systems

Aaron Boettcher, Director Product Marketing, Systems, Services, Software Remote Automation Solutions

oday’s terminal operator is faced
with a variety of challenges to remain
profitable in an increasingly complex
market environment. For operators,
efficiently maximising the throughput
T of the terminal is critical in order to
remain as key suppliers to their customers and to
be financially successful.
Surprisingly, many terminals are still operating
without an integrated terminal management system
to plan and manage loading and unloading
operations and – more importantly – to provide
visibility and management of the terminal’s inventory
and commercial activity. Terminal management
software is not new, but many terminal operators
do not realise the value implementing modern
terminal management software can provide for their Enhancing customer satisfaction Fig. 1 - Fully
operation and overall business. As with most businesses, a terminal can only be automating the
Terminal management software has historically successful if its customers are satisfied and willing to loading process is a
been targeted at managing the loading operations return to the same terminal for repeat business in the core capability of any
modern terminal
and efficiently moving trucks through the facility future. Terminals are 24/7 operations and often subject management system
in an automated way. In addition to managing to a constant stream of communications and requests
truck loading, modern terminal management for information from customers.
software systems provide a single integrated Operators often struggle to manage these requests
platform to manage the entire terminal business because they do not have accurate and available
process: bringing in customer orders, executing information to respond at the time that it is needed,
the loading operation, charging for services, they lack efficient coordination between the operational
managing inventory, and billing activity back to and commercial staff at the terminal, or they have to
the customer. pull the data out of multiple, disparate systems.
These new systems are built not only to move Terminal customers, aware of the internet’s
products but to efficiently move information, which pervasiveness in everyday life and the continued
in turn optimises the order to cash cycle for the advancement of IIoT technologies, now increasingly
terminal and helps streamline the customer’s supply expect to be able to access this critical operational and
chain logistics activities. financial data at any time without delay.
Using modern terminal management software Modern, integrated terminal management systems can
platforms, such as Emerson’s Terminal Manager, simplify the customer management process. Out-of-
terminal operators are reaching new levels of the-box web portals can extract transactional data from
profitability and customer satisfaction by achieving a completely integrated backend to provide complete
greater connectivity to customer needs, optimising self-service capability for customers.
loading operations, and streamlining the entire The terminal’s customers can log onto the portal and
order to cash commercial management cycle. place or modify orders, achieve complete visibility to

IndustrIal Plants - May 2018
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