Spain’s eYARD is using artificial intelligence (AI) to help terminal operators reduce unproductive moves and therefore cut costs and increase profitability.
Marshalling containers around a terminal is a complex task but not every move is actually ‘productive’ in terms of it being billable to the operator’s clients. Indeed, these unproductive moves, says Pablo Fernández-Peña Curbera, CEO and co-founder of Spain-based startup eYARD, translate into additional costs of more than €36bn ($39.4bn) for the sector worldwide. Optimising container placement is therefore something that would be of great benefit to a terminal operator’s bottom line.
“eYARD is a cloud-based software that uses AI to help container terminals reduce costs and improve operational efficiency by reducing the number of unproductive moves,” he says, explaining that the software’s AI enables it to predict the dwell time of a container. These algorithms, he continues, are designed to generate an accurate mathematical forecast that allows yard operators “in any known or unknown situation” to choose the best action to execute at any given time. “Our algorithm evaluates the state of all containers in the yard and each time a new container arrives, it predicts the best possible position to reduce the potential unproductive moves.”
Indeed, the company calculates that its software can reduce the number of unproductive moves made at a terminal by around 25% if not more. “The most important benefit is that the terminal operator has a substantial increase in operational efficiency and a reduction in operational costs,” Curbera states, adding that the eYARD software can also help a terminal improve its overall planning and make more accurate forecasts regarding which assets will be needed and when.
But that’s not all the software can do. “Additionally, by improving the efficiency of the operations, the terminal can reduce vessel waiting times, which has a beneficial effect for the shipping company and the supply chain as a whole,” he says. Similarly, by enhancing efficiency and reducing the number of unproductive moves, eYARD can also cut fuel consumption and related emissions by optimising the routes and distances travelled by assets such as reach stackers.
In terms of real-world deployments, the eYARD software is already being used at a container terminal in Spain, where the company is working closely with the client to identify key performance indicators and various efficiency metrics to define common improvement goals. Designed to integrate easily with terminal operating systems (TOSs) via REST APIs, the software, Curbera reports, is both quick and low-cost to implement.
Incorporated this past April in Pontevedra in northwest Spain, the company’s core team consists of three friends and co-founders: Curbera, who comes from a background of business and startup development; CTO Paco Ferre Aguilera, who commands more than 30 years’ experience in software development, including the past five focussed on AI; and COO Pedro Perez, who is able to draw upon 24 years in container terminal operations.
Identifying this wealth of skills and industry knowledge as a key factor in making the company “strong and unique,” eYARD also prides itself on its ability to listen to its clients and focus its efforts on developing solutions to their particular problems quickly and efficiently.
Furthermore, while AI is something that has existed for a number of years, “the lack of computational capacity” has prevented its full development, Curbera says. As a result, “finding developers with extensive experience in this field” is not easy. However, eYARD has “developed this internally” and thus commands an experience that further makes it stand out on the market.
Having so far met with a “very positive” response from the sector, eYARD is a participant of both the Next Logistics Accelerator in Hamburg and PortXL in Rotterdam. “We understand that bringing new ways to an old industry will be difficult. That is why we are engaging with industry leaders who share a similar vision to us to help us along the way,” Curbera says.
More information on eYARD can be found at the company’s website
