ATHENS, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) S.A., a member of China's COSCO Shipping group, has decided to invest in end-to-end digitization and optimization in order to further expand the strategic importance of the port for the international vehicle trade.
Following an open international tender, PPA awarded a project to optimization specialist INFORM from Aachen, Germany, to improve the efficiency and transparency of vehicle handling at the port's car terminal, PPA announced on Tuesday.
To continue its growth of recent years and further expand its strategic position, PPA is implementing an intelligent IT system from INFORM Vehicle Logistics that is designed to enable end-to-end transparency of all processes in the supply chain, according to an e-mailed PPA press release.
Customers, suppliers and customs authorities will be able to track via a web portal where and when a car has been delivered, it explained.
In addition, the algorithms of this system are capable of optimizing the operational processes in the compounds through real-time decisions and advanced planning.
The PPA's car terminal provides a capacity of over 600,000 movements per year. Located close to the center of Athens, the port occupies a geostrategic position for the eastern Mediterranean region and is considered an important transit hub for trade between Europe and Asia.
"Under this new cooperation, PPA targets to increase its Car Terminal's efficiency and competitiveness and make it more attractive for its customers. We believe that the vehicle logistics system of INFORM can guarantee the successful digital transformation of PPA Car terminal," said PPA BoD Chairman Yu Zenggang.
COSCO Shipping from China acquired the majority of PPA's shares in 2016 after an international tender, while its subsidiary, Piraeus Container Terminal S.A. (PCT), has been managing the port's container terminal since 2009.
The image of Greece's largest port has already improved impressively in the past decade, many third-party observers have acknowledged, seeing also the positive financial results of recent years. Enditem
