Container Terminal Operations are increasingly versatile with many systems and processes to plan, schedule and manage operations. There are added pressures on terminal operators to augment profitability, increase throughput & exceed customer service goals.
Bringing clear visibility into the various terminal operational processes in day to day operations is the first step. The ability to take business decisions improves when you create periodic view of performance (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and yearly).
Business Intelligence in terminal operations provides immediate visibility to critical data for terminal and port operation managers to analyze the port and terminal performance.
Excel power pivot can be used as a tool for Business Intelligence requirements. PowerPivot empowers users of all levels to access and mashup data from virtually any source . Terminal managers can create their own compelling reports for terminal operations through cubes thus avoiding them from long waits for IT or BI professional development time.
One of the biggest advantage we see here is the end user training, everyone knows excel so the adaptation of BI in the organization is very simple by extending the power of BI in excel to end users.
There are various terminal reports which can be created using excel power pivots, some are:
Equipment Productivity:
Terminal management needs to track equipment productivity for all equipment working in the terminal from all angles in simple visual forms. This report will give equipment utilization picture thus enabling the terminal for optimum resource planning.
Vessel productivity:
For terminal operations, one of the key priorities are to service the vessel quickly, efficiently and improve the berth availability for additional vessel operations. This also keeps check on faster turnaround of the vessels and thus increase the throughput for the terminal.
Service volume:
Terminal manager needs to know volumes of all the services for shipping lines operating in the terminal for ascertaining the terminal throughput and total handling. Also volume figures depict the level of business performed by various shipping lines to understand the bigger one among others and take measures for positive growth.
Truck turnaround time:
The primary objective of all terminals is to reduce the truck’s waiting time via smooth gate operations i.e. to help reduce the truck idle time. Truck turnaround time should be kept minimum which will result in effective terminal operations. This report captures the time taken for complete operation of trucks inside the terminal and which is very critical for terminal productivity.
Reports which otherwise created through a Business Intelligence Solution can be effortlessly created in excel using power pivot option and thus saving the terminal from cost incurred on expensive a Business Intelligence Solution
