26 February 2013
A new tablet app developed at Port Nelson has brought the process of logging log loading into the digital age.
Developed by the port's information and communications technology team, it allows wharf workers to update the progress of loading a ship into a database that can be seen by managers and others in real-time.ICT manager Huge Stark said that information was previously recorded by a wharfie using a pen and paper, and then that was collated and summarised later on by other staff.
It was time-consuming, wasteful and slow, he said.
Nelson Forests had asked the port to come up with a more up-to-date tool, so the ICT team began to brainstorm possible applications.
The app is now running on a dozen $500 Samsung Galaxy tablets, and was designed to be as "idiot-proof" as possible.
Wharf hands or their supervisors can use the app to record each load, record and explain any delays, and compare their progress against teams working other loading bays on the same ship.
Other ports from around the country were interested in the technology, he said.
Source: Nelson Mail story by Adam Roberts. To read the full story click here.