PSA revolutionises truck operations in Singapore with OptETruck

SINGAPORE: PSA Singapore revolutionises truck operations in Singapore by significantly enhancing operational efficiency at the Port of Singapore using a cloud-based transport management system called OptETruck, The Edge Singapore reports.

OptETruck works by allocating jobs to drivers based on their current location, leveraging real-time optimisation of routes and truck assignments. This approach minimises empty trips and ensures that drivers are assigned tasks within close proximity, thereby reducing transit and waiting times while enhancing overall operational efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.

The journey towards OptETruck’s implementation wasn’t an overnight success. It took two months to develop a minimum viable product before the system went live in January 2023.

Sriram Ramanujam, Assistant Vice President for Community and Digital Solutions at PSA, highlighted the collaborative effort involved in the project’s development.

He said, “We worked closely with stakeholders including external haulier companies, to ensure that the project meet their specific requirements. This iterative process involved co-defining specifications, conducting user acceptance tests and live trials.”

He also highlighted that OptETruck has asset pooling and automated scheduling features.

“Automated scheduling is enabled by a real-time resource-matching algorithm and predictive modelling to maximise resource utilization. With this, OptETruck can match and recommend jobs so that hauliers are able to reduce the number of empty trips made across various supply chain nodes,” he added.

He also said, “[Meanwhile] asset pooling enables hauliers and their partners to share resources, allowing them to optimise their fleet, manpower allocation and trips. Data simulations have shown that these capabilities can help reduce empty trips by more than 50%.”

This results in an annual reduction of approximately 10 million kg of carbon emissions – a significant environmental win equivalent to planting 300,000 trees in one year.

The system integrates with various platforms, including the Port Community Solution (PORTNET) in Singapore, customers’ Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, in-vehicle devices or mobile apps for drivers, and finance/ERP systems for accounting and billing.

Additionally, it uses the power of Internet of Things (IoT) sensors like chassis trackers to deliver visibility and control.

Ramanujam expressed optimism about OptETruck’s impact on Singapore’s trucking community, emphasising its role in shaping a sustainable future for the logistics industry.

He praised the collaboration with HERE Technologies, stating, “We look forward to continuing this journey of pioneering innovative solutions with HERE, shaping the future of port logistics and further solidifying PSA’s position as a global leader in the port and supply chain industry.”

Kushal Rajveer, Head of Supply Chain for Asia Pacific at HERE Technologies, echoed this sentiment, saying, “Working closely with the Digital Transformation arm of PSA, we designed a solution that utilises location technology to address the specific challenges of the container truck ecosystem around the Port of Singapore. We’re pleased with the results from early adopters of the OptETruck, which has given PSA confidence to onboard more than 50% of container trucks entering and exiting Singapore’s ports by the end of this year.” /TISG

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