Container Terminal Management System

Container terminals are very complex and also highly capital intensive. They have to be well managed in order to realize their potential capacity and to deliver a reasonable level of efficiency and service performance to their customers. A good management system cannot be done without IT system(s) – in case of container terminals it is a normally a TOS system.

The advancement of IT provides a wide range of options for the container terminal operator to computerize its management systems. Basically, it can range from a simple data entry and retrieval system to a highly sophisticated computer directed real-time operation system with automation options. The choice depends on the size and capacity of the terminal, the operational setup and its projected growth in medium term.

A container terminal management system is also known as a terminal operating system (TOS) which aims to control the overall movement and storage of various types of cargo (in this case container) within a container terminal.

A container terminal management system enables container terminals to make better use of its assets – labour and equipment – and to get promptly (or real-time) information, which allows more timely and cost-effective decision making. Modern and large container terminals are managed by TOS systems, in order to cope with the high complexity of business processes and supply chain requirements.