Product Loading in Depot & Terminal Automation

eXLerate for Depot and Terminal Automation supports all functions to manage and control the loading of products into trucks, rail cars, barges (ships) and pipelines.

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eXLerate uses the powerful and open MySQL database engine for storage of all configuration, order and transaction data. We provide to our partners a comprehensive database template supporting all the mentioned loading functions. The template can be fully adapted to the needs of the actual facility.

There is functionality available for:

• Loading order management, i.e. the way orders in a depot or terminals are processed, usually with a connection to an ERP (Enterprise Resource & Planning) system such as SAP/R3.
  
  
• Vehicle management, i.e. the handling of vehicles such as railcars, trucks and barges tailored to the requirements of the depot.
  
  
• Control of field devices, i.e. the actual hardware devices controlling the loading process.
  
  
• Document management, i.e. the way that a bill of lading, metering reports and other documents are processed.

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Loading order management

The following functionality can be included in an application:

• Loading order management.
• Manage planned (scheduled) orders.
• Manage immediate (non-scheduled) orders.
• Accept compartment-based loading orders.
• Aggregate loading orders such that one loading order covers multiple vehicles.
• Accept loading orders from and send transaction data to a host system (e.g. Management of customer and delivery addresses.
• Support for multiple loading stations.
• Support for multiple compartments per vehicle.
• Manage compartment loading sequences.
  

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Vehicle management

Handling of vehicles such as railcars, trucks and barges can be tailored to the requirements of the depot. The Depot & Terminal Automation computer system is able to:

• Manage vehicles, drivers and forwarding agencies.
• Manage trucks / locomotives and trailers / rail cars (combined or separately).
• Manage access to the facility at the entry and exit gates.
• Manage authorization by ID and PIN code.
• Manage authorization through card readers.
• Verify validity of loading transactions.
• Support self-service loading with camera monitoring.
• Manage vehicle weigh bridges.
  

 

 

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Control of field devices

Field devices such as batch controllers and flow computers may be fully controlled from within the computer system, which is able to:

• Monitor and control batch controllers, flow computers, PLC’s, weighing bridges, etc.
• Exchange loading information.
• Send product-dependent data such as densities and meter factors to the flow computers / batch controllers.
• Store complete audit trails for Weights & Measures authorities.
• Coordinate flow meter proving.
• Facilitate instrument validation & calibration.
• Interface to bar code and card reading equipment.
  

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Document management

Documents such as a bill of lading, a shift report or other delivery documents are also controlled from the Depot & Terminal Automation computer system, which is able to:

• Automatically printout delivery document for each executed loading order.
• Generate and archive Bill of Ladings, transactions reports, delivery receipts, shipment documents, etc.
• Facilitate extensive reporting based on customers, orders, products, vehicles, drivers etc.