© InPort Intelligent Port Systems

The chain of transport is made up of several links, or activities, overlapping each other – when one party has completed an activity, another party takes over and performs another activity – e.g. the haulier delivers a container at a terminal which for the terminal operator represents a receipt, etc.

In connection with an activity each transport party needs information in order to play his “role” – the stevedore must have information in order to load and discharge a container from a vessel; the electrician needs information to make a PTI and to connect a reefer container; port authorities need information to claim cargo duty; customs need information on clearance, etc.

The activity, or rather the chain of activities, is the focus of our product conception, which is reflected in both the architecture as well as in the development and tailoring of the system. A customized entrance is provided for each transport partner focusing on the function of the individual and thereby the approach and the information relevant to him or her. In addition, close cooperation with our customers allows us to tailor our products and solutions to customer requirements in terms of functionality and efficiency.

Information used in the individual chain links are the same and can therefore be reused from one link to another. This not only saves time, but it also reduces the risk of introducing errors or misinterpreting information.

Co-operation is the keyword. When all transport partners cooperate as a team, the information flow can be optimized and transport efficiency considerably improved. It does not matter whether parties are competitors or collaborators. One day two companies may be competitors, the next day they may be cooperating in a customer-supplier relationship.

As a whole, however, the parties in the chain of transport constitute a transport community, regardless of their roles. They all take part in the transport process and rely on the same information – the relationship between the parties can therefore be characterized as one of interdependence.
By forming a common system, a transport community information system, all transport parties can benefit. The parties in the chain of transport all contribute with certain pieces of information at the same time as they gain access to other relevant information in the information centre. Thereby the information centre binds the parties together in an information network.

InPort provides such a software solution for the transport community, integrating all necessary applications. However, the solution is also designed to co-exist and cooperate with other systems such as financial systems, shipping systems and other systems for port operation and terminal management.