Following an announcement in August, 2015 that the Ports of Auckland is to partially automate its container terminal, a second round of consultation with staff and unions has begun and a scoping study has also been carried out.
The consultation and study have provided more detail on how the proposal could work, particularly with regard to safety.
The Ports of Auckland has now shared that detail with staff and unions, and are seeking feedback.
Watch: Port of Auckland Eye Robotic Technology
The proposal would involve the use of robotic straddle carriers loading and unloading trucks and moving containers around the terminal.
Manual operation would be retained between the terminal and the cranes.
Technical Paper: Innovation and Process Optimisation Drive Success
The second round of consultation is expected to take five weeks, after which a decision on whether or not to proceed will be made.
Should the project proceed, it would take around three years to implement, over which time the port would be able to manage the reduction in roles through normal staff turnover and retirement.
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The Ports of Auckland has recently released its half year results, ended on December 31, 2015, in which the port operator saw a more than a $31 million net profit.