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Business and IoT integration in Belgium's largest port: Antwerp Euroterminal goes digital

By using the compacer edbic platform as a B2B/IoT gateway, the IT strategy of the Antwerp Euroterminal was implemented efficiently and quickly. The digitalization of the previously manual processes now ensures faster data processing, more transparency and saves time and costs for the terminal and its trading partners.
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Antwerp Euroterminal
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Realization of the IT strategy of the Antwerp Euroterminal with edbic and edpem

By using compacer edbic as a B2B platform, Belgium's largest port is able to optimize and automate all business processes. In addition, the Euroterminal maintains an overview with compacer edpem as a business process monitoring system and is able to act quickly at all times.

Armotization+

Thanks to edbic, several digitization and integration projects were successfully implemented in a very short time and with an outstanding cost-benefit ratio. Maximum transparency thanks to standardized processes. Significantly accelerated implementation.

Improved data+

Data acquisition from weighing and other sensors, surveillance cameras and security incidents. Enrichment, conversion and correlation of data. Distribution to further processing systems by edbic as an IoT/B2B gateway.

Transparency+

Near-real-time data exchange with key players on goods, status and planning. Monitoring of goods, people and traffic flows for an improved overview. More transparency through standards instead of in-house development.

The challenge

The implementation of a new Terminal Operating System (TOS) offered our customer the unique opportunity to rethink the entire IT landscape. Accelerating the digital transformation and reducing the workload became key target definitions. The aim was to meet the ever-changing internal and customer requirements, while offering high-quality services to end customers. The most important factors were maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction and a clear commitment to maximum security. The existing system landscape had grown with the company and was therefore very heterogeneous and poorly integrated. This had led to high maintenance and administration costs. Integration projects were only implemented when necessary and integration problems were solved by in-house developments. This led to silo thinking and resulted in increasingly fragmented and isolated knowledge. It became clear that networking the respective systems with suitable tools would create immediate added value and greater transparency. In addition to the "classic" challenges of integration projects, our customer emphasized that the topic of IoT integration was very important to them. Particular attention should be paid to finding the right speed and the right tools for the changeover. A software platform that would enable them to connect their B2B partners and their applications electronically and provide a solid basis for the planned IoT integration would therefore be far ahead of all competing offerings.

The solution

The customer decided to use the compacer edbic platform as a B2B/IoT gateway. The integration platform acts as a central "data hub" for our customer and the applications of its trading partners. It has since become the core of all operational and logistical flows. edbic was supplemented in a second step by edpem to introduce business process monitoring (BPM).

A whole series of integration projects were implemented in a very short space of time. Some of these were "traditional" B2B projects designed to enable the exchange of EDI, XML and proprietary data with the applications of trading partners and third parties by converting and transmitting the data transparently.

In addition, a large number of applications were connected via edbic. The system for shift planning and management of terminal workers was linked to the access control system for the port, enabling automated payroll and significantly relieving the HR department of day-to-day tasks. Integration with the customer's ERP environment, on the other hand, partially automated order acceptance, fulfillment and billing. New capabilities were also added, such as the generation of data records for structured test scenarios, automated access control based on shift planning and visitor appointments, and much more.

However, the port operator wanted to go one step further and tackle its first IoT project. For the pilot project, sensor data from the terminal's various weighing and measuring systems was published via edbic. A typical use case is measuring the verified gross mass (VGM) to comply with SOLAS requirements. The data obtained is now automatically fed into higher-level systems such as the TOS or stowage planning for loading ships, where it is available for further processing, analysis and visualization.

The network of surveillance cameras has been connected to a perimeter security system, which enables the early detection of intruders. The comparison of number recognition events (ANPR) with access control information and TOS transactions makes anomalies visible, improves traffic management and increases security - a key concern in port terminals. All of this is controlled by edbic.

This new level of digitalization makes everyday terminal logistics easier and significantly increases the efficiency of the port.

See how our support has helped these companies

"With edbic, we were suddenly in a position to offer services before our customers even asked for them. The proactive development of new services is now a matter of course. Something like this would not have been possible in the past."

Tim Pieters

IT System Engineer, AET
"I am as enthusiastic about working with compacer as I am about their products. Above all, they are impressively creative when it comes to finding solutions, and their flexibility and commitment are equally remarkable. With compacer, I know I have a reliable partner at my side and that gives me a good feeling."

Dominic Küchler

Head of IT Cuxport GmbH

Read the full success story

Find the full interview as well as our PDF with the complete success story of AET and compacer.
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