Port of Liverpool achieves best truck turnaround times in the UK

A new vehicle booking system (VBS) developed in-house by the Port of Liverpool is helping reduce the turnaround times of hauliers visiting the port’s container terminal operations.

The Port of Liverpool’s vehicle turnaround times are today the best in the UK with 95% of hauliers serviced in less than 60 minutes and 65% less than 30 minutes.

SMART VBS, designed by the Liverpool-based Peel Ports Group IT team, is being rolled out across its operations in two strategic phases during 2010.  Phase one, which began in July, covers haulier demand requirements notification while the second phase will be haulier nomination of containers for delivery and collection.

The new system aims to and already is reducing booking rejections and delivering a consistent turnaround time at the terminal, allowing hauliers to plan their deliveries more accurately.

David Huck, Head of Port Operations for Peel Ports Mersey, said: “The coming months will see the port implementing the two phases of its SMART VBS which was developed thanks to the expertise of our in-house IT team.  It’s SMART because it focuses upon the voice of the customer from booking, to arrival and all the way through to departure from the terminal.

“Right from the system’s concept we wanted to differentiate our service within the industry and not become a ‘me too’, by capping slots to stabilise demand like other terminals.  We knew that a ‘me too’ solution wouldn’t work for the Port of Liverpool’s growing customer base, so we designed the system to flex capacity with demand and thus only in extreme demand circumstances would any capping be undertaken.

“The more timely the booking information the smarter we can align the yard and resources to that demand, in essence giving our customers a more predictable, repeatable and stable level of service.  We spent considerable time talking to both shipping lines and the wider haulage community in order to achieve a system that offered something unique within the industry.”

The investment complements the Port of Liverpool’s recent introduction of a new £1.1million Terminal Operating System (TOS), which has led to immediate improvements in customer service since its launch, helping the Mersey port surpass the performance of other major UK ports.

Also this year, Peel Ports has delivered a number of other successes, including increasing capacity on the barge service provided along the Manchester Ship Canal, adding additional services into the Port of Liverpool’s container terminal and integrating the offers of Liverpool and Manchester, creating a 44-mile stretch of water in the heart of the UK.

Together, the Port of Liverpool and Manchester Ship Canal offer a comprehensive range of port facilities, handling more than 40 million tonnes of cargo and 16,500 ship movements a year – making the River Mersey Britain's third busiest estuary.

For further information, visit: www.portofliverpool.co.uk

Published: 17/08/2010