By 2060, all goods will be shipped safely to their destination in smart containers within minutes of an order being placed, according to Kalmars renewed Port 2060 vision for the future of cargo handling.

An industry frontrunner in terminal automation and energy-efficient container handling, Kalmar forecasts that world trade in 2060 will be driven by automation and smart containers that know their contents and destination.

Being fully automated, the working environments in port terminals will be significantly improved in terms of efficiency and safety goods will move around faster, with almost no incidents.

Mr Peter McLean, Kalmars Head of Asia Pacific, said that port terminals will be complete logistic ecosystems, acting as global interchange points for an on-demand society.

In 40 years, consumers will be able to order goods directly from local producers and have the goods shipped to them within minutes. Since everything will be connected, consumers will be able to track exactly when the goods will arrive.

With automation, every move made by the smart containers will be consistently managed, which means that there will be almost no damage to the containers and port equipment. This helps to create a safer working environment for port workers, he said.

Kalmars renewed Port 2060 vision emphasises that artificial intelligence, combined with human experience and knowledge, will help solve highly complex problems. Predictive maintenance will be continually performed on all smart equipment at port terminals to avoid downtime and ensure that every process throughout the trade journey runs smoothly.

This means that in the event of downtime, equipment parts can be 3D printed on-site and installed automatically, ensuring that goods can continue to move efficiently throughout the supply chain, according to Mr McLean.

He further noted that industry automation is well underway and has escalated in the past decade, especially in Asia-Pacific. Automation is becoming increasingly important in the Asia-Pacific region, especially with the establishment of the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative. We are already seeing investments being made in automation in countries like Singapore, China and Australia. Many of these countries have been upgrading their technological capabilities while also investing in developing the human expertise needed to operate new technologies.

Over the next 40 years, new generations will have more time and space to innovate, thereby further improving communication and interactions over the entire supply chain network. We believe that by 2060, the pace of automation in Asia-Pacific will be comparable to the level of automation in Europe and other parts of the world, said Mr McLean.

Kalmars aim is to anticipate the challenges and solutions that will be relevant to the industry in the upcoming years, and work with the different port authorities to close the gaps in automation, thereby boosting the reliability and efficiency of cargo handling services in the region.

Mr McLean said, In our Port2060 vision, goods are transported faster, more efficiently and most importantly, safely. Ports are likely to be fully automated across Asia-Pacific, and the working environment in port terminals will be very different from what it is now.

We want to make this vision a reality by leading the discussion on the future of cargo handling, and helping our customers and partners adopt new technologies and innovations that prepare them for the future. Source: Kalmar

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Automation will drive efficient, smooth and safe world trade by 2060: Kalmar - Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide