APS Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of optical character recognition (OCR) and process automation technology solutions for marine and intermodal container terminals, announced the award of a crane automation solution project for the MultiRio container terminal in Rio de Janeiro.  MultiRio is owned by the Multiterminais Group, one of the largest marine terminal and dry port operators in Brazil. MultiRio chose the APS Crane Automation Solution to support a major expansion at the terminal. The APS Crane Solutions will automatically identify containers loaded and discharged by the STS cranes to improve data accuracy, efficiency, and safety while reducing operating costs.

The MultiRio container terminal covers 185,000 square meters and handles more than 45 containers per hour. The company is embarking on a major expansion and updating technology is a key to the process. APS will implement the Crane Automation Solutions along with its local maintenance and support partner, Deskline Technology Solutions. The solutions will be fully integrated with Navis SPARCS. The solutions being installed include:

  • Crane OCR – automates identification of containers during the load/discharge process.
  • MatchMaker – to automatically associate containers to terminal-owned trucks during handoff, allowing for work assignment and confirmation without manual intervention.
  • SureStow – to automatically verify the final load position of containers onboard the vessel. SureStow compares the planned load events to the actual placement and notes any deviation from the plan.
  • X-Clerk Exception Handling System to enable remote resolution of OCR misreads, stowage exceptions and MatchMaker errors.

“We pride ourselves in being a technology leader, and we choose our partners accordingly. APS provides the right mix of product capabilities with proven integration.  We expect the return on Investment (ROI) for this project to be two years or less,” said Antonio Rodrigues, IT Director for MultiRio.