ORTEC TD Business Package: Bulk and Liquid
Introduction.
Already from the start, ORTEC TD contains specific functionality designed to support dry and liquid bulk transportation, such as:
- the ability to define the set-up of compartmentalized equipment;
- a contamination matrix to calculate potential product incompatibilities;
- the ability to display, at any point in the route, a graphic visualization of compartment
load assignments;
- an algorithm to calculate the optimal load assignment for a bulk cargo route.
ORTEC’s vision for bulk transportation is based on the concept of viewing a bulk trailer as a moving stock keeping unit (SKU), whereby indefinite quantities of cargo (stock) are increased and decreased based on the loading and delivery assignments that are allocated, in real-time, to the trailer during route execution.
Some highlights of the ORTEC TD Business Package: Bulk and Liquid
Creation of optimized vehicle routing schedules in one easy step
ORTEC TD combines the existing load optimization and load assignment algorithms within a calculation that enables the creation of batch plans via a single application planning command. This means that the software can incorporate multiple transport orders and routes into an optimal plan based on pickup/delivery sequences and compartment assignment.
Ullage rates and axle pressure included in the optimization calculation
A frequent constraint when planning bulk transportation is the need to consider the impact of a load on the bulk vehicle’s axle pressure. For example, if a high-weight load is situated in the very rear compartment of a trailer and the remaining compartments contain low weight or no cargo, this could result in excessive use of fuel or even cause the vehicle to overturn during transit.
A further consideration point, particularly in liquid bulk transportation, is the ullage rate. This term refers to the free space above a liquid that is contained in a tank, drum or tank-container, expressed as a percentage of the total capacity. Ullage space is often required in order to accommodate any possible expansion of the liquid being transported. Furthermore, bulk trailers are mainly loaded to almost full or almost empty capacity in order to reduce the impact of internal sloshing. ORTEC TD considers minimum and/or maximum ullage rates per compartment during calculation of the plans.
The ORTEC TD algorithm that is used to allocate trailer compartment loads incorporates axle pressure and ullage rates. As a result, the quality and usability of calculation output is significantly increased, which delivers a more optimal load assignment for compartmentalized equipment.
Improved management of actual versus planned loading and delivery quantities
The concept of a bulk trailer as a moving SKU is most clearly demonstrated in the process used for planned versus actual cargo loading and delivery quantities.
In bulk and liquid transportation there are often variances between the ordered, loading and unloading quantities. For example, a customer orders 5000 litres of a product, but when processing the order, 5100 litres is loaded into the bulk liquid tanker. Any variances between planned and actual quantities loaded can have a number of consequences, i.e. overloading of the tanker or insufficient capacity in the customer’s tank to receive the extra quantity.
ORTEC TD includes functionality to calculate the consequences of these types of variances and the planner is notified if any restrictions are likely to be violated. ORTEC TD’s compartment view screen enables the planner to maintain an overview of planned and confirmed unloading quantities, which are fed through to the application via the extended Mobile Communication interface.
Handling times per product
ORTEC TD delivers additional functionality to more accurately calculate the required loading and unloading times at a location. The calculations take into account the product type and the loading/unloading action required. This is a useful enhancement given that product viscosity can vary significantly.
Cleaning the compartments
Bulk and liquid (hazardous) transportation requires rigorous compartment cleaning prior to loading contaminating products. ORTEC TD provides cleaning notifications based on the actual loading history per compartment. The ORTEC TD optimizer also enables the planner to search for the optimal cleaning station based on opening and closing times, the cleaning tariff and the station’s ability to handle a particular product.
The software proposes the optimal location by also ensuring the least amount of detour from the route.
This is a real benefit to the planner who can now rely on the application to store all relevant cleaning location data and to calculate the best option based on specific criteria.