With this newsletter we would like to keep you informed of the latest news and developments at our terminal. If you have any questions about the content, please contact your contact person at the terminal.
With kind regards,
APM Terminals Maasvlakte II
Every quarter we conduct a customer satisfaction survey via an online questionnaire. You can indicate to what extent you would recommend us to others on a scale of 0 to 10. In quarter 2 you gave us an average score of 7.5 and in quarter 3 an average score of 7.3.
The survey revealed the intercom at the truck pedestals as a point for improvement. You can read more about this in the truck update. APM Terminals Maasvlakte II has started a study on how we can improve this. One of the elements of this is to improve the information provided to the drivers, so that they can see the status of your visit. We will keep you informed of the results. In addition to the operation of the intercoms, a truck barometer is a frequently requested item in the responses.
Your feedback is very valuable to our terminal. We greatly appreciate you taking the time and effort to participate in our customer satisfaction survey.
September 8 was all about Global Safety Day. Although safety is of course important every day at our terminal, APM Moller Maersk Group considers it important to draw extra attention to the importance of safety worldwide every year. One of the components of Global Safety Day program were the 'Gemba Walks'. Gemba Walks are activities in which management and various employees visit various locations on our terminal in order to identify safety risks and opportunities for improvement. One of the areas looked at was the special area adjacent to the truck handling area. This is an area where drivers regularly cross from the truck handling lanes in search of colleagues. It is very dangerous to walk here on foot. So one of the action items is about making drivers aware of the dangers to a person on foot in this area. Ultimately, of course, our goal is to get everyone home safely.
Go Green is an annual initiative by APM Terminals and Maersk to draw attention to the environment and our living environment. This year, as part of Go Green, APM Terminals Maasvlakte II is committed to protecting the environment and ecosystems. In October, bird houses and an insect hotel were placed at our terminal. To ensure that this is inhabited, various spots on our site will be planted in the spring.
APM Terminals Maasvlakte II is continuously working on improving the truck handling with the aim of making our truck handling faster and smoother.
Intercom calls pedestals
Currently, we are investigating the intercom calls from drivers at the truck pedestals to our Remote Stack Operators sitting in the office. Our Remote Stack Operators monitor the process of truck handling. They monitor a total of 54 stack cranes, of which 18 stack cranes are dedicated to truck handling. Each stack crane serves 4 lanes. Our Remote Operators can see what message a crane is giving and therefore what problem the driver is experiencing at that moment. The system is set up in such a way that the drivers are assisted in the smartest order. In a normal situation this can take about 10 to 15 minutes. In some cases, however, it can also take longer, for example if the reefer being picked up still has to be uncoupled. In that case, the crane even hangs still, which can cause confusion about its operation.
Research shows that during daytime hours the intercom is pressed up to 3 times a minute. For the Remote Stack Operators it is then not possible to answer all drivers. The number of times that the intercom button is pressed is not in proportion to the number of times that a manual action is required by the Remote Stack Operator. Therefore, we would like to ask you not to immediately press the intercom button the moment it takes a little longer than expected. If a manual action is required this will automatically appear in the Remote Stack Operators handling list. They will handle your container when it is your turn and contact you via the intercom if necessary.
Improving voice communication
It has been noted in the past that it is sometimes difficult to be understood when there is communication through the intercom at the truck pedestals. Two things have been plotted to improve this:
1. Replaced the hardware of the voice connection of the intercoms so the connection should now be better.
2. The safety audio signals of the stack cranes have been adjusted downwards so that this interferes less with the communication. Naturally, this takes into account the minimum noise needed to keep the operation safe.
Remote Stack Operators may find it more difficult to understand you when your engine is running. We would therefore ask you to turn off your engine when you are in the stack.
Concrete buffers reversed in stacks
We have noticed a lot of damage to trucks and to our fencing between the truck lanes and the stack in recent years. This was due to the chassis sticking out too far and thus hitting the fencing. To prevent this from happening, the concrete bumpers in the stacks have been reversed to prevent driving into the fencing. We have found that no more damage has occurred. Due to this measure, the combinations of 18 meters or longer can no longer move far enough back in the stack, resulting in the front container not being able to be loaded/unloaded. Therefore, we would like to ask drivers to use the Longer and Heavier Truck Combination (LZV lane or Lane 1 of each stack) when they are at our terminal with a combination of 18 meters or longer.
Bob van de Hulst is the Yard Strategist at APM Terminals Maasvlakte II. In the video Bob would like to explain everything about our yard, the stacking logic, how our yard density forecast is calculated and which factors determine this. If you wonder why the terminal is temporarily not accepting empty containers, please watch this video.
We are curious what you think of our newsletter and what kind of information you currently miss in our newsletter. You can give your feedback below anonymously. After filling it in you can press the send button.
