A Terminal Operating System (TOS) is a crucial component of a terminal and plays a central role in managing the movement and storage of various cargo types in and around a container terminal, port, or inland depot.
To achieve this, Terminal Operating Systems leverage other technologies, such as EDI processing, mobile devices, wireless LANs, RFID, and DGPS, to monitor the flow of products efficiently and around the terminal.
Data is transmitted to a central database in real-time or batch synchronization. This database provides valuable reports on the location and status of goods, as well as the container handling equipment (CHE) in the terminal.
A TOS empowers terminals to optimize asset, labor, and equipment utilization, plan workloads, and receive timely information to make cost-effective decisions.
The primary objective of a TOS is to offer a set of automated procedures for managing cargo, machines, and people within a facility, facilitating seamless and efficient operations. A TOS should provide a streamlined operation, from high-level vessel/berth planning down to equipment and work instruction execution.
Additionally, a TOS should encompass Yard management; Vessel management; Berth management; Crane allocation; Container Handling Equipment (CHE) management; Rail management; Gate management; Booking and Pre-Advice of containers; Truck management and inquiry; User security and access control; and Reports (fixed and user-configured).
TOS should also offer optional interfaces to third-party systems (e.g., Financial systems, radio data terminals, REFCON Reefer Monitoring system, Electronic weighing scale, DGPS systems, etc.).
Real-time data provision is critical for decision making, especially in terminal operations. However, currently, there are not many TOS systems on the market that provide genuine real-time capabilities.
