Jade Logistics has successfully gone live with its terminal operating system (TOS), Master Terminal, at three of seven sites for Abu Dhabi Ports (ADP).
ADP is replacing legacy systems with Master Terminal for its mixed cargo operations. The first site to go live was Zayed port in July, after a six-month implementation phase. It was followed by Khalifa (1 August) and Musaffah (6 September). The remaining four terminals are expected to go live in 2016.
Speaking with World Cargo News, Jade’s director of business development, Captain Kaustubh Dalvi, said the changeover to Master Terminal is a comprehensive undertaking, with Jade installing a new server family within ADP’s existing infrastructure.
Dalvi said a common challenge at general cargo terminals is the lack of standardisation of data that can be exchanged electronically. “This limits the port community to take full advantage of the pre-advising and pre-planning functionality, which is available in our TOS,” he said. However, ADP is a forward-thinking organisation in this respect, and will use EDI for general cargo, which is something not all terminals in the general cargo business do. Port agents were trained to supply manifests, load and discharge information in standardised format. “As a result, cargo is now electronically declared 24 hours in advance of arrival using EDI,” said Dalvi.
The ADP project includes a suite of Master Terminal mobile applications and a web portal. The portal will allow stakeholders to access information using cargo queries and self-service reporting, and/or register pre-notifications, truck appointments request for services, etc.
Master Terminal has a multi-terminal architecture, and all the terminals will be hosted at a single physical location. The transition to Jade will be managed by running the new software in parallel with legacy systems at each terminal’s go-live. “We typically commence the parallel run a couple of weeks prior to the actual go-live, to minimise downtime and potential disruption,” said Dalvi. He also emphasised the importance of ADP’s project team and super users in ensuring a successful go-live, particularly in avoiding bottlenecks, as the team brings seven terminals live with the new TOS. The remaining four facilities are expected to go live in 2016.