“In just a few short years, SPARCS N4 has evolved from a ‘nice to have’ technology platform, to one that is essential for remaining operationally agile, profitable and successful in this highly competitive marketplace,” said Bill Walsh, president and CEO of Navis. “For terminals that are live on SPARCS N4, the benefits are clear. The increase in flexibility, customization and automation capabilities enable our customers to provide the best possible service to their clients.”
With 25 years of experience in the marine shipping industry, Navis has developed long-standing and trusted relationships with its customers, due in part to its commitment to innovate its TOS technology as terminal needs evolve. As a result, a growing number of existing Navis customers, such as New Zealand’s Port of Tauranga, are making the strategic decision to upgrade to SPARCS N4.
“Our volumes were increasing rapidly and we needed a system that would keep up with that volume,” said Martyn McColgan, Operations Manager, Port of Tauranga. “When we went through the process of checking what products were in the market and heard what was suitable to our operation, SPARCS N4 came out on top.”
Graham Marshall, Commercial Manager, Port of Tauranga continues, “If you look at any port, the most critical thing they can offer to their customers is productivity, and technology is absolutely critical to achieve that. That is why we have chosen to move to N4. Simply put, we think it is going to add another level of efficiency and connectivity to our customers.”
Another significant driver for the global adoption of SPARCS N4 is the ability for terminal operators to use the software to manage multiple sites from a central location. Navis customers such as Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) and Haifa Port, Israel’s main maritime gateway, are currently doing so with SPARCS N4, and are seeing significant benefits as a result.
A year and a half after the implementation of SPARCS N4, Haifa Port has set new records in 2012 with an 11.5 percent increase in total TEU throughput and a 15 percent increase in container moves per crane per hour.
Currently using the TOS to manage seven sites from one central location, Transnet Port Terminals chose SPARCS N4 to become more operationally efficient, as well as improve the customer experience. “Our overarching goal at TPT is to improve volumes and productivity levels, and SPARCS N4 is certainly an enabling factor in allowing us to work more efficiently and in an integrated manner,” said Mark Wootton, Executive Manager, ICT at Transnet Port Terminals.
Beyond existing customer upgrades and migrations from in-house legacy systems from terminals like Borusan Lojistik in Turkey, SPARCS N4 also serves as the TOS of record for most advanced, automated terminal projects in progress on the market today. DPW London Gateway and Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Port are just two of the cutting-edge sites that are using SPARCS N4 to make automated terminal operations a success.
“Due to the grand scale of the Khalifa Port project, we needed a TOS partner with proven experience in semi- and fully-automated terminals. For us, the right partner was and continues to be Navis,” said Joost Achterkamp, Project Director, Abu Dhabi Ports Company.
SPARCS N4 is Navis’ latest generation TOS, allowing customers the flexibility and scalability needed to run their operations at the lowest possible total cost of ownership – from a single terminal to multiple terminals across different geographic locations managed from one central location. With future releases of SPARCS N4, Navis remains committed to providing innovative t
