INFORM has announced that it has successfully deployed its Syncrotess Optimization Plus solution at Norfolk Southern’s Austell terminal in Atlanta, Georgia.
The solution reportedly enables the terminal to have complete transparency of their stacked operations as well as optimised yard storage and crane movement operations.
INFORM’s add-on AI and optimisation solution takes a modular approach to adding advanced intelligence to a terminal’s existing TOS. This path allows them to isolate the terminal’s specific challenges and provide a bespoke solution for their specific operational challenges.
As an add-on optimisation solution, Norfolk Southern have built the required optimisation on top of their existing Terminal Operating System (TOS) OPTCS 2.0.
Austell is the second Norfolk Southern site running INFORM’s Syncortess Optmization Plus solution. In 2023, NS took the solution live at their Rossville terminal.
Norfolk Southern is using INFORM’s Yard Optimizer (YO) to intelligently manage their stacked operations. The Yard Optimizer works in conjunction with TOS to allocate storage locations for containers within the yard, automatically determines suitable grooming moves, and allocates handover locations, or transfer spots, for external trucks to use to minimise travel distance for the container into and out of the stack.
Additionally, Norfolk Southern is utilising INFORM’s Crane Optimizer (CO) to optimise the movements of overhead cranes to minimise empty travel and maximise productivity of the lift equipment. Austell is using Kuenz RTG Freerider cranes.
INFORM has a suite of six industry proven optimisation modules designed to improve operational efficiency reducing operational costs and allowing for improved revenues. They include: Crane Optimizer (CO), Yard Optimizer (YO), Vehicle Optimizer (VO), Train Load Optimizer (TLO), Rail Scheduler (RS), and Machine Learning (ML) modules.
INFORM is the market leader in AI and optimisation software to facilitate improved decision making. Based in Aachen, Germany, the company has been in the optimisation business for 50 years and serves a wide span of logistics industries including ports, maritime, and intermodal terminals with both add-on optimisation modules as well as TOS solutions.
READ: INFORM to provide Europa Terminal with optimisation software
Will Deshazor, Norfolk Southern Group Vice President Intermodal Automotive Terminal Operations commented: “INFORM’s Syncrotess Optimization Plus solution is helping revolutionise our operations at Norfolk Southern’s Austell and Rossville terminals, providing us with unparalleled visibility and efficiency in our stacked operations, yard storage, and crane movements.
“Our rollout in Austell marks another step forward in our commitment to delivering exceptional service to our customers while optimizing our terminal operations.”
READ: INFORM deploys optimisation solution at Norfolk Southern’s Rossville Terminal
Matthew Wittemeier, Director of Marketing and Sales at INFORM’s Terminal & Distribution Center Logistics Division said: “No doubt, it’s been a journey to get the Austell terminal up and running but we’re excited to be in a position now to demonstrate our world class optimisation solutions working in live operations.”
Dr. Eva Savelsberg, Senior Vice President at INFORM’s Terminal & Distribution Center Logistics Division commented: “I’m tremendously proud of INFORM’s team and their commitment to the Norfolk Southern project. It is great to have the second Norfolk Southern site go-live; it is a strong demonstration of our continued partnership with NS.”
Last September, INFORM announced the publication of its in-depth Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) Guidelines.
