Tideworks Case Study

Santa Marta International Terminal

TOS Implementation Helps Boost Customer Service and Enhance Billing at Terminal Startup

In early 2009, Santa Marta International Terminal Company (SMITCO), a joint venture between Sociedad Portuaria de Santa Marta and Manzanillo International Terminal - Panama, S.A., formally began operating as a container stevedoring company in the Port of Santa Marta, Colombia’s only natural deep- water port.

In its quest to achieve a modern terminal system, SMITCO sought a full-service, phased solution that would provide complete control and visibility into all aspects of the operation. SMITCO also needed a reliable, experienced technology partner who could deliver all related system implementation services, such as project management, TOS adaptation to the local operating environment, user training, on-site start-up assistance, and ongoing maintenance and support.

The first phase of terminal development, completed by mid-2012, included two post-Panamax ship-to-shore gantry cranes, four rubber-tired gantries (RTGs), and an 8.7-hectare container yard with a capacity of 300,000 TEU per year, expanding to 420,000 TEU in a second phase.

In order to provide the best and most reliable service to its growing customer base, SMITCO required a combination of a proven terminal operating system (TOS) solution and experienced resources that could provide various value-added services to a project that anticipated significant growth.

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Tideworks systems have allowed us to grow the business in an orderly manner, as they give us greater visibility into our operations and help us maintain absolute control. That translates into improved customer service, which at the end of the day is what we sell.

Jaime Sasso
Former General Manager, Santa Marta International Terminal Company (SMITCO)
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One of the key areas where we’ve seen a marked improvement is with respect to billing. Before the introduction of Mainsail and its powerful, full-featured billing module, our terminal handled 30-35,000 moves per year. Now, at a current annual throughput of over 60,000 moves, we are billing more than double the amount we did previously with the same number of people. As our volume grows to a projected 90,000 moves per year, we fully expect to be able to handle the growth without the need to hire more staff.

Jaime Sasso
Former General Manager, Santa Marta International Terminal Company (SMITCO)
Hoisting Spinnaker
Under Full Mainsail
Service: Going the Extra Mile and Providing Added Value
Challenges
Success Factors

On the Horizon

Even as construction of the first phase of terminal development drew to a close, SMITCO continued looking toward the future and made plans for another phase of technology implementation. The terminal intends to deploy Tideworks’ Traffic ControlTM electronic dispatch system as well as its GateVision® automated gate solutions in a subsequent phase.

Traffic Control will help the operator replace paperwork instructions and excessive radio chatter with the automated transmission of electronic work instructions to container handling equipment, enabling SMITCO to optimize these resources and reduce operating costs. GateVision will streamline the terminal’s gates and reduce trucker turn times, thereby further enhancing customer service levels

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Tideworks is the only TOS supplier that is able to provide SMITCO such a broad range of services. This allows us to remain focused on our core business of moving freight through the terminal. With a modern, efficient TOS fully supported by Tideworks, we have been able to enhance customer service and focus our IT staff on local solutions.

Jaime Sasso
Former General Manager, Santa Marta International Terminal Company (SMITCO)
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Prior to Mainsail, we were generating an average of 2,000-3,000 invoices per month. While our volume has since increased significantly and the dollar amount of our monthly billing has roughly doubled, we are generating about the same number of invoices, thanks to Mainsail’s streamlined billing module and the efficiencies that this has afforded us. Our customers really appreciate the reduced amount of paper invoices they receive.

Jaime Sasso
Former General Manager, Santa Marta International Terminal Company (SMITCO)

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