ENHANCED EFFICIENCY
Yard management systems are
designed to address these kinds of
inefficiencies. They can provide DC
managers with real-time information
on trailers, help manage the flow of
trailers to and from the correct dock
doors—inbound or outbound—and
ensure that trailers are moved in and
out of the gates more efficiently.
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is fundamentally an execution management tool for yard activity. Among other
functions, the software can oversee both
door and gate management, which can be
manual, semi-automated, or automated.
These systems can also generate move
requests, again either manually or automatically, based on conditions at dock
doors or trailer status.
The development of RTLS linked to the
YMS adds to that efficiency by providing
managers with data on the precise location of all trailers in the yard at all times.
This technology, which automates the
data collection and entry processes, virtually eliminates not only lag time but also
the potential for human error.
RTLS comes in a variety of forms. For
instance, Zebra’s yard management suite
incorporates the company’s WhereNet
RTLS technology, based on the ISO 24730
interface protocol. (That protocol aims to
encourage interoperability among RTLS
systems.) It is a wireless system that uses a
local area network for location and messaging. It can integrate with either pas-sive- or active-tag RFID systems.
The RTLS offered by Pinc Solutions
makes use of passive RFID tags and readers with global positioning system capabilities mounted in yard trucks. The system can use RFID tags already installed
on trailers, or if a trailer does not have a
tag, one can be mounted on a trailer with
a magnet at the guard gate, says Dr. Aleks
Gollu, chief technology officer and a
founder of the company.
The companies most likely to benefit
from an RTLS system, according to Phillips,
are high-volume operations—those managing 750 or more trailers and 400 to 500
gate transactions daily. By contrast, a YMS
on its own can pay off at facilities with a
couple hundred trailer slots, he adds.
As for specific benefits offered by the
combined technologies, the biggest gains
are likely to come from a reduction in
labor, Gollu says. An RFID-enabled RTLS
linked to the YMS allows a driver to jump
to 12 moves an hour from an average of
five by reducing the time drivers spend
getting instructions and searching for
trailers. “That’s saved customers a lot of
money,” he says. “Spotting costs are $40 to
$50 an hour [per driver]. If you have a
