Kalmar Introduces Open, Vendor-Agnostic System Kalmar One For Partial Or Full Automation Of Cargo Handling

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Kalmar One is an open, standardised, scalable way to partly or fully automate container terminals regardless of the vendor or equipment type, Kalmar says. (Photo courtesy of Cargotec.)

Kalmar has announced “the first open automation system for container terminals,” dubbed “Kalmar One.” The firm describes it as a modular, scalable system for the automation of container handling operations “regardless of the vendor, equipment type, operation mode, or automation level at the terminal.”

"One of the most important factors holding back our industry is the lack of global commercial standards for terminal automation," says Kalmar Automation Solutions President, Antti Kaunonen. “We want to speed up the industry transformation by offering a standardised system that allows customers to change the automation level of their operations at a pace that suits their business."

A Little Or A Lot

Kalmar One brings process automation capabilities and an equipment control system together to give customers a standard, open, scalable way to deploy modest or full automation in their container terminals. This runs the spectrum from simple process automation, to a mix of operator-assisted and autonomous moves, to fully automated control over all operations with human oversight.

“We have defined and bundled common functionalities of container handling into product families that can be used to automate both Kalmar applications as well as solutions where competitor equipment is part of the” equation, says Kalmar’s COO and SVP of Terminal Automation Solutions, Tero Kokko.

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Kalmar pledges lifetime support to facilities using the Kalmar One product families and tools to automate cargo handling. (Photo courtesy of Cargotec.)

Kalmar pledges lifetime support to operations using the Kalmar One system. “Because the same automation products are used to build different applications, our support will be more responsive and customers can trust that the new enhancements and features will work and are available during the whole lifetime of the application,” Kokko says.

The Kalmar One automation system has six product families and system tools, all with open interfaces. It’s facilitated by the firm’s 2017 Kalmar Key common system architecture. Kalmar Key uses the Kalmar Terminal Logistics System to allow the construction of bespoke end-to-end automation solutions, the company says.

“Kalmar One is the next step on our journey to promote openness in our industry,” says Kaunonen.

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