Since Xiamen Yuanhai Automation Port was put into commercial operation in March 2016, it has achieved “zero” accident safety and highlighted the acceleration of container volume, work efficiency, and economic benefits. On May 27, 2017, it successfully completed the maiden voyage of the world’s first container giant ship “Oriental Hong Kong”, which exceeded 21,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), setting a record for China’s first fully automated terminal to undertake the maiden voyage of the world’s largest container ship for the first time. With the world’s leading automation port’s proud new technology and economic efficiency, Xiamen Yuanhai Automation Port became China’s industry 4.0 and the leader of intelligent logistics.
Xiamen Yuanhai Automation Port can ensure the stable operation of ships with redundant capacity. The system is controlled by a central control room computer and deeply integrates advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, operational research decision and system engineering theory. The optimal route is determined for the whole port from the perspectives of safety, efficiency and energy consumption. With the leading advantages of full intelligent control, precision and efficiency, low cost and more safety, Xiamen Yuanhai Automation Port have become a truly unmanned and fully automated port. The lifting and transportation machinery and equipment of the port are all driven by electricity. It is the world’s first port without internal combustion engine driving equipment, and it is also a truly pollution-free and zero-emission green environmental protection port.
At the port, computer-controlled quayside Bridges, AGV and track cranes operate 24 hours a day automatically, unloading and transporting goods in an orderly manner. The whole port’s energy saving of more than 25%, efficiency improvement of 20% and reduction of front-line personnel of 70%. The key to achieving all this is artificial intelligence.
At Xiamen Yuanhai Automation Port, the most eye-catching are these AGV. AGV, full name automatic navigation carrier, 15 m long, 3 m wide, 2.3 m high, rated load of 65 tons, no-load speed of 5.8 m/s, full load speed of 3.5 m/s. It is mainly composed of vehicle, electric control and transmission system, navigation system, radio communication system, positioning system and obstacle detection system. In the automated ports, AGV ACTS as the horizontal transport function of the conventional ports, which is a very critical link to realize the ports automation. Xiamen Yuanhai Automation Port’s 18 AGV drivers and supporting 18 charging machines are all provided by INVT, using Goodrive800 series engineering drive products.
As important equipment of AGV in the horizontal transportation system of the fully automated port is an important factor restricting the success or failure of the fully automated port. AGV is characterized by unmanned remote driving. With the remote control, it can automatically drive along a predetermined route and load and unload goods back and forth. The AGV developed and manufactured by Zhenhua heavy industry adopts all-lithium battery power supply and adopts opportunity charging mode to recharge the battery. It is green and environmental friendly to realize the infinite cycle operation of the equipment and has the advantages of low energy consumption, low pollution, low noise, and low maintenance cost. The AGV, which is equipped with INVT drivers, has been tested and praised by the dock owners.
Relying on INVT’s own accumulated technical advantages, combining with the advantages of many well-known foreign brands and basing on Zhenhua heavy industry’s years of experience in the production of port machinery and equipment, INVT can ensure the efficient, safe and reliable operation of port machinery and equipment through the electromechanical optimization design.
In recent years, INVT has replaced the foreign mainstream brands on 136 sets of key AGV equipment in Xiamen Yuanhai, Qingdao Qianwan, Shanghai Yangshan and other automation terminals under the general contract of Zhenhua heavy industry, which has been fully supported and highly recognized by the owners, and INVT sets up its own independent brand industrial automation manufacturers in the port industry.
