Stage two of Port of Portland's gate automation project a success

24 Sep 2008 - Security and Logistics

Implementation of Tideworks GateVision®, its proprietary gate operating system, was completed in December 2006. The OCR system further advances the Port’s goals of streamlining gate processing and improving truck turn-times at Terminal 6, the Port’s primary container handling facility. Port of Portland has been utilizing Tideworks’ Mainsail Terminal Management System®, Spinnaker Planning Management System®, and Forecast® since 2003. Tideworks’ GateVision has been in use since late 2006. Tideworks, an industry leader in cost-effective and flexible terminal solutions, served as the systems integrator and project manager for the OCR implementation, demonstrating again its ability to provide truly comprehensive end-to-end solutions for its customers. “We’re extremely pleased with the continued progress and implementation of Tideworks’ integrated port-management technologies,” said Lee Roundtree, general manager of marine operations for the Port of Portland. “The implementation of gate OCR was seamless, and has improved processing times by an additional 25-30 percent. The combination of GateVision with OCR represents a huge gain in efficiency versus the manual method, and, ultimately has allowed us to increase Terminal 6’s processing capacity significantly and continue to grow the container business at the Port of Portland.” Because of its experience implementing gate technologies at multiple West Coast terminals, Tideworks now has the capability and expertise to cost-effectively provide complete gate integration services, acting as the prime contractor and single point of contact for the customer. Utilizing the chokepoint portal concept, Tideworks provided all of the on-site implementation and supervision for the project. Camco Technologies of Belgium (http://www.camco.be/), a market leader of OCR-based gate automation systems whose container read rates are in excess of 98%, supplied the gate OCR cameras and technology. PIPS Technology (http://www.pipstechnology.com/home_us/) provided the Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) in the gate lanes. “The introduction of OCR at the Port allows for the automated capture of container, chassis and license plate numbers at the gate. These data elements are now automatically ‘pre-filled’ into the gate forms, enabling clerks to merely verify the required elements, via the GateVision interface, and process trucker transactions with minimal effort,” said Michael Schwank, president, Tideworks Technology. “We are pleased and proud to play such a significant and ongoing role in the development and expansion of the Port of Portland’s technology initiatives.”

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