SpecialFeature1

Toyota Industries’ Container Transport
AGV System Contributing to Evolution ofPort Logistics

Necessity of Automation at Container
Terminals
n Higher Efficiency Essential in Enhancing
Ports’ Competitiveness
Increasingly globalized economic activities have been
generating a greater flow of commodities betweencountries. Accordingly, maritime transport, which serves
the crucial role of moving commodities around the world,
has been handling an increasing volume of shipping
containers, with the world’s maritime container traffic in2010 reaching more than five times the volume in 1990*.
Amid this environment, maritime container terminals
not only in Japan but also all over the world have beenpressed to reduce the time needed for the loading andunloading of cargo on and off container vessels andincrease the efficiency of operations in terminal yards.
* Statistics by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourismn Seeking to Improve the Work Environment
In many container terminals, cranes that hoist containers
have cabins 40 meters high from the ground, forcing
operators to work in a tough environment. They areconstantly exposed to ocean winds, intense heat during
summer and severe cold in winter and often work late atnight. Loading containers onto a trailer truck is also a
difficult task, as it requires both the crane and trailer truck
to be stationed precisely at specified locations. Both thecrane operator and trailer truck driver thus need to have ahigh level of skills, experience and sometimes a “feel” toperform their respective jobs. Many have been voicing theneed for improving their work environment.
In order to achieve higher efficiency and a better work
environment, Tobishima Container Berth Co., Ltd. (TCB),
the operator of a container terminal within the Port ofNagoya in Aichi Prefecture in Japan, decided to introduce
large-sized container transport AGVs to automate
operations within maritime container terminals. “The entire
team worked toward one goal,” says project leader
Kazuhiro Suzuki, AssistantGeneral Manager of the Trans
System Engineering Office.
Looking back on their
enthusiasm at that time, headds, “We channeled ouraccumulated AGV systemtechnologies and logistics
know-how into this project withthe determination to contributeto the development and growthof the seaport.”
Kazuhiro Suzuki

Toyota Industries’ Container Transport AGV Specifications
Length: 14.3 meters
Width: 2.8 meters
Height: 1.8 meters
Weight: 23.5 tons
Allowable load: 30.5 tons
Maximum speed: 25.0 km/h (20.0 km/h when loaded)
Drive system: Diesel-electric system

The globalization of economic activities and a subsequent risein cross-border commodity flows have led to a greater volumeof containers handled at seaports. Maritime container terminals,
which play a major role in supporting growing container traffic,
are now required to evolve in many ways to achieve higher
efficiency in their container transport operations and improve thework environment. As such, one of the most significant issues isautomation. Toyota Industries is making a substantial contribution
to the automation of container terminals by leveraging its years ofexperience in developing automatic guided vehicles (AGVs). Thissection highlights our container terminal automation system, aunique project originating from Japan, based on an interview withsome key project members.
Positions and departments of the four Toyota Industries employees featured in this section are as of March 31, 2013.

16

Toyota Industries Report 2013Assistant General Manager,
Trans System Engineering Office,Engineering Department,
Toyota Material Handling Company
Tobishima Container Berth17

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Contributing to Growth by Leveraging
Toyota Industries’ Strengths

able to contribute to not only increasing its logistics
efficiency but also considerably improving the challenging
work environment.

n Efforts in the Area of Software
Development
Building a Total System Covering the Entire
Terminal
To raise the competitiveness of the seaport, we leveraged
our know-how in the field of commodity flow optimization,
which we have cultivated through the development oftransport and storage systems for more than 30 years, andour experience in developing AGVs, thereby contributing
to greater overall operational efficiency at terminals.
For instance, our container transport AGV system
controls the scheduling of AGVs in a Just-In-Time (JIT)
manner by working in conjunction with other componentsof the terminal, such as gantry cranes that transfer
containers from a vessel to a transport AGV. At anintersection within the yard, the non-stop control program
prevents multiple AGVs from entering the intersection at
the same time, saving fuel by eliminating the need to slow
down, stop and accelerate again at the intersection, as
well as providing better transport performance. After being
loaded with containers, ourAGVs are capable of selecting
the optimum route to thestorage yard on their own.
Hiromi Mitoh, General
Manager of the Logistics
Solutions Project, emphasizes
the significance of theTobishima project, noting:“Our AGVs operate incoordination with cargo handlingequipment and the management
Hiromi Mitohsystem of the entire terminal,
General Manager,
enabling JIT operations. This
Seaport Business Development Group,
was the world’s first initiative ofLogistics Solutions Project,
Toyota Material Handling Company
its kind that attempted to realize
higher work efficiency.”
By systematizing the operationof the entire terminal, we weren Efforts in the Area of Hardware
Development
Superior Functionality Based on AGV System
Technologies and Know-How
In addition to the software aspect of how to control theentire terminal operation, another important factor of thecontainer transport AGV system is its hardware, namely,
the performance of AGVs that
actually carry containers. We
integrated our various
technologies into these AGVs toensure durability, energy-saving
performance and safety in a
tough operating environment.
Our AGV is about 14 meters
long and weighs more than 50
tons when loaded with a 30-toncontainer. This huge vehicle iscapable of autonomously driving
Shinji Katsuda
at the maximum speed of 20Group Manager,kilometers per hour and parking
Trans System Engineering Office,at a designated location with aEngineering Department,
Toyota Material Handling Company
margin of error of within 2centimeters. This outstanding
level of accuracy was the major
enabler of automatic transfer ofYard control software

No collaboration among processes
Gantry crane

Crane control

AGV operation control software

Crane control

Yard craneManned trailer truck

Storage process

Notional Diagramof Conventional
Container Terminal

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Toyota Industries Report 2013

Transport process

AGV
Unloading
process

Collaboration
Container vessel

In a conventional terminal, container
handling and transport operations
are undertaken individually by gantry
cranes, manned trailer trucks and yard
cranes.

Storage process

Notional Diagram ofAutomated Container
Terminal

Collaboration
Transport process

Unloading
process

Container vessel

The system is controlled by AGV
operation control software andother programs, which optimize thecollaboration between AGVs and cranes
and improve the container terminal’s
overall logistics efficiency.

containers between our AGVs and yard cranes, which
helped us make a significant contribution in improving thework environment.
“In addition to ensuring durability against hightemperatures in summer, low temperatures in winter,driving rain and gusty sea breezes, we worked to provide
better resistance against the impact of a fully loaded
container landing on the vehicle, which can exceed 30 G,
as well as a high level of safety,” says Shinji Katsuda,Group Manager of the Trans System Engineering Office.
He recalls, “We also made efforts to respond to therequests of the customer for better energy-saving
performance and easier maintenance.”	Yasushi Saito of the Trans System Engineering Officealso emphasizes theiringenuity in its
structure. “A precisioncomputer forcontrolling the AGV is
installed in the middle
portion of the vehicle
body,” he explains.
“To install other control
devices around thiscomputer, we had tocreate space byYasushi Saito
making devices morecompact. The
designing process
involved thecontinuous fine-tuningof the overall vehicle
balance.”

Trans System Engineering Office,Engineering Department,
Toyota Material Handling Company

Excellent Environmental Performance
Our container transport AGV is driven by a diesel-electric
system, in which an electric motor operates the vehicle
using the power generated by the diesel engine. Thevehicle is also equipped with a fuel-saving mode that
efficiently uses energy by prioritizing when to use and savepower depending on the operating status. “We reduced
the weight of the vehicle itself and modified its operationsystem. The result was higher fuel efficiency and less CO2and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions,” says Katsuda proudly.
Multi-Layered Safety Features
We paid particular attention to addressing the customer’sconcern regarding safe operation of our containertransport AGVs at the automated terminal.
Our AGV system provides multi-layered safety features
for potential risks. Each AGV is fitted with a laser radar
device to detect an obstacle in its moving direction. Its
contact-sensing bumper is capable of sensing unexpected
falling objects on its path to avert even minimal contact.
In addition, the AGV’s operation control software program
prevents interference with other AGVs in the vicinity bycontrolling the direction of the AGV’s movement as well as
links to the crossing gate control that contributes to theprevention of a collision between a trailer truck and an AGV.

1 Toyota Industries’ Container Transport AGV System Contributing to Evolution of Port Logistics

n Receiving 2012 Good Design Gold Award*
As described previously, Toyota Industries’ containertransport AGV system effectively combines software(control system) and hardware (AGV itself) to ensure highly
efficient container transport operations, excellent
environmental performance and safety. In this way, ourAGV system assists the entire container terminal, including
gantry cranes and trailer trucks, in achieving higher
operational efficiency.
These superior features have earned high acclaim,
and our AGV system received a 2012 Good Design GoldAward. As one judge noted, it “really is a fusion of productdesign and social system design, and provides Japan’smaritime transport industry with a new, promising meansof implementing its growth strategy.” Receiving such highpraise from a third party gives us a huge boost in
confidence, and we are more determined than ever tocontribute to customers’ businesses in every possible way.
* Highest prize given to a group of 2012 Good Design Award winners, exclusively selectedby a panel of judges as having particularly outstanding designn Launching AGV System Meticulously
Tailored to Customer’s Requests
The designing of the vehicle itself involved a number ofchallenges. We had to achieve a level of durability able towithstand the shock of a container landing on the vehicle
while protecting a precision-computer mounted on thebody. The vehicle, weighing more than 50 tons, has to run
safely at the maximum speed of 20 kilometers per hourand park at a designated location with a margin of error of19

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1 Toyota Industries’ Container Transport AGV System Contributing to Evolution of Port Logistics

Customer Voice

within 2 centimeters. We also developed numerous
software programs to ensure safe and efficient
automated operation of multiple AGVs and cranes.
Most importantly, however, was conducting
careful genchi genbutsu (go and see for yourself)
checks to verify that both hardware and software
function properly in every possible circumstance,
the same as in theoretical simulations. “We
conducted feasibility tests mainly at night so as notto interfere with TCB’s terminal operations,” says
Mitoh. “We made improvements again and again toincrease operational accuracy. Looking back, it wasa daunting, time-consuming task. But we worked as
one team and were eager to meet the customer’s,and ultimately, end users’ needs.”
With unwavering enthusiasm, Suzuki adds:“A collaborative relationship with TCB and othercompanies engaging in terminal operations wasparticularly important. We paid meticulous attention
to the customer’s requests, finding solutions toissues and building technically feasible measuresthrough in-depth discussions. All project members,including those engaging in manufacturing, banded
together as one strong team to develop an
operational structure truly needed by the customer
from the perspective of a total system thatencompasses both hardware and software.
Toyota Industries is perhaps the only company thatcan make this project possible, and this makes mevery proud.”n Expected Growth in Needs andFuture Approach
Customers’ needs for higher efficiency in seaportlogistics operations are expected to steadily
increase.
To respond to these needs, we will develop
container transport AGV systems that create newvalues. That will involve combining “humanmeticulous attention to detail and flexibility” and“precision and stability of machinery” and delivering
these systems to customers together with ourlogistics know-how.
We aim to improve the performance of AGVs
themselves and at the same time pursue acoordinated and collaborative approach toenhancing overall system capability. We will continue
to dedicate considerable efforts toward this goal inhope that our container transport AGV systems willcontribute to better seaport logistics efficiency, andin the end, improve people’s lives.

20Toyota Industries Report 2013

Masato KatoPresident,
Tobishima Container Berth Co., Ltd.

Tobishima Container Berth Co., Ltd. (TCB) is the operator ofa new container terminal opened at the end of 2005 asmodel terminal for a Super Hub Port of the Port of Nagoya.
TCB is a joint venture of 10 companies providing maritime,
harbor and land transportation services. Its mission is tocontribute to the country’s economic growth by achieving
greater convenience and efficiency and to seek ways tobecome a win-win terminal for everyone involved.
Our terminal is among the few in the world and the only
one in Asia to fully automate its container transport
operations. We asked Toyota Industries to develop and installcontainer transport AGVs. The company delivered to us
exactly what we have envisioned, that is, AGVs that are not
only automated but also capable of working on their own
with a human touch. Since their introduction in February
2009, these AGVs have not had any accidents and havegained high acclaim among the companies involved interminal operations for improving the work environment andthe safety of operators working within the terminal.
The process of developing, installing and launching theseAGVs entailed a myriad of issues to overcome and involved agreat deal of effort on the part of Toyota Industries staff.
As an individual involved in this project, I witnessed theirincredible commitment and hard work. I still remember eachone of them, and they have earned our deepest respect andappreciation.
In order to fulfill our aforementioned mission, we haverolled out an initiative to gain an unparalleled level ofcompetitiveness. For us, automation does not end with its
introduction into the terminal but marks the beginning ofconstant efforts for improvement. By defining the meaning
and indicators of competitiveness for a seaport, we areworking under the belief that to get better we have to change
now while carrying out improvement activities on a daily
basis. More than a year has passed since we began thisinitiative, but we still see a lot of seeds for improvement. As
the saying goes, “We have to renovate ourselves from day today.” Toyota Industries’ team is also providing their support,and we have high expectations for their technologicalsuperiority and fully appreciate their willingness to take on
any challenge.
We are committed to increasing our competitiveness andevolving into a seaport that makes our customers happy.