Increasing global trade over the past few years has not been without its challenges for the logistics industry. Rapid increases in volumes in some markets - such us Ecuador - has led to inefficiencies and increased complexity.
APM Terminals Inland Services Ecuador is one of several APM Terminals’ facilities that has been proactively addressing such issues. Unpredictable gate turnaround times for truckers, for example, is not only an inefficient use of time, but was having a serious impact on banana exports in Ecuador. If fruit isn’t stuffed into the container on time, the quality of the produce suffers.
Truck appointment system
The solution at APM Terminals Inland Services Ecuador was the introduction of an accurate and reliable Truck Appointment System (TAS). This approach has already proved itself at other APM Terminals’ facilities, including neighbouring Peru. The system allows for much better co-ordination of arrivals and departures leading to significantly shorter wait times for trucks.
The system now allows truck arrivals at the facility to be spread evenly throughout the day with a truck turnaround time of just 45 minutes. Containers are arriving faster, reducing the risk of produce damage and truckers are improving their fleet utilisation.
Improved yard planning
"The visibility provided by the system also results in better yard planning, as there are a fixed maximum number of appointments per shift and we know in advance when the 'busy' periods will be. We are able to assign resources - equipment, people - in a more efficient way without sacrificing service," says Fohodil Galeas, general manager at APM Terminals Inland Services Ecuador.
Inland trucking service
APM Terminals in Ecuador recently achieved a significant milestone in providing end-to-end solutions for clients, with the addition of an inland trucking service. The service is currently open to customers that have import or export activity with Maersk or Sealand.
