Thirty years ago, the construction of the Delta/Sea-Land terminal at the Maasvlakte - the current DDN – constituted an unprecedented achievement. Two people who were directly involved from the very beginning reminisce about the realisation of the world’s very first automated container terminal. In his capacity as Director of Technology (and, from 1990, Director of the Delta Container Division), Joan Rijsenbrij was the program manager; Wando Boevé monitored the practical feasibility in terms of operations. “Many people had their doubts, but it proved to be a real success!”
Listening to Joan and Wando talk about the construction of the Delta/Sea-Land Terminal, it almost seems as if it happened only yesterday. Both are still brimming with enthusiasm. Wando: “The fact that I was able to experience this entire process 30 years ago is just wonderful. With a large motivated team, we were able to do so many new things. There were times when we had no choice but to come up with solutions on the spot. Today, I do not think that we would have been given that time and freedom. Pioneering was really part of ECT's DNA back then. The company was a leader in container handling and had the gumption to press ahead.”
Not just for engineers
Wando was specifically added to the project group for the Delta/Sea-Land Terminal to ensure that the devised automation concepts would actually be workable in operational practice. Joan: “AT ECT, we first started thinking about automation in 1983 already. Our director Gerrit Wormmeester always said that you don't build a new terminal with yesterday's technology, but with that of tomorrow. Aptly put, but after signing the contract with Sea-Land, we at the Engineering department had to deliver on that. In the project group, we soon came to the conclusion that the construction should not just involve engineers. There are plenty of examples worldwide of projects that failed because of this. Under the leadership of Wando, we therefore included operational employees almost from the very start.”
‘ECT had the gumption to press ahead’
From drawing to reality
The technological concept of the Delta/Sea-Land Terminal was completely new. Automatic Guided Vehicles (AGV) did not exist, for example. Joan: “We visited a Mercedes factory in Germany where they had some kind of AGV driving around in a hall. However, these devices were not designed to carry around payloads of 30-40 tonnes outdoors in a salty environment right by the sea.” The concept we devised for ECT's AGVs was drawn as an 'artist impression' by Rudolf Das. “Using those realistic-looking drawings, we managed to convince Sea-Land of the automated concept,” says Joan. “Using the same drawings and our technical specifications, we also approached potential manufacturers of the AGV. Only the German company Gottwald was willing to build it for a fixed price.”
“By the way, we had to reject the very first AGV,” continues Joan. “That cost a lot of money. When driving laps on the test track at the Maasvlakte, the vehicle’s positioning proved to be too imprecise. Furthermore, initially there were issues with the transponders in the quay; seagulls would try and peck them from the surface. This was solved by using smaller transponders and covering them with a paste. Sometimes, an AGV would stop because a seagull passed in front; the AGV thought that a person was standing there. We fixed this by delaying the stop signal by a few milliseconds.”
Two Fiat Pandas at each crane
There were many other factors that made the realisation of the Delta/Sea-Land Terminal special. Wando: “Our new approach to the organisation of labour was also an absolute top innovation. We opted for a completely new way of working for the Delta/Sea-Land Terminal and extensively trained our employees to this end. The basic idea was to place responsibilities as low in the organisation as possible. Crane teams had to be able to operate highly independently. By training each team member in several tasks, they could always rotate among themselves. That independence went so far that all cranes had two Fiat Pandas, allowing each crane team to individually relieve themselves during shift changes.” Wando is also still very positive about the role of the trade unions and the Works Council in the entire process. “Of course people were critical, but no one ever dug in their heels.”
End to improvisation
Joan emphasises just how remarkable that new way of working was: “In the traditionally organised port of the 1970s and 1980s, improvisation was highly common. This is not possible in an automated system. Everything must be clear in advance. To give an example: 56 different protocols were in place for the dispatch of orders between Sea-Land and ECT. Bear in mind that fast internet was not yet available back then. A fax machine was modern technology.”
Essential discussions
In this manner, a highly motivated team worked step by step towards the commissioning of the Delta/Sea-Land Terminal. Joan: “To be honest, we regularly experienced stress along the way. It wasn't always easy, but we knew it could be done.” Discussions would often focus on small, but oh-so-essential details. Wando: “A good example that I will never forget was a discussion we had about the moment when an AGV drives that last stretch under the crane. If the crane operator moved the crane just a little to the left or to the right for whatever reason, the AGV would no longer be in the correct position. The automation engineers suggested that the crane should simply move a few centimetres. In the meeting, I demonstrated what this would mean for the crane operator. You really needed those discussions between IT people and operational people to advance the process. Without there being any resistance from either side, by the way.”
Wonderful opening day
On the 25th of June 1993, the Delta Sea/Sea-Land Terminal was finally officially opened. A wonderful day, says Joan, who can still specifically recall just how well Queen Beatrix had been trained. “We did have a tense moment though. The IT people came up with the idea of performing a kind of ballet with the AGVs. Three hours before the event, I was called with the message that the software program was not working. Everything worked out in the end though. Just as things had always done in the entire 5 preceding years. Plenty of setbacks, but ultimately things always worked out.” Wando cites another nice anecdote about the opening day. “Our people had made a bet among themselves about the colour of the Queen's hat. The proceeds were donated to a good cause. For me, this was indicative of the creativity and humour of the group.”
“Nowadays, we are not as easily impressed anymore,” Joan concludes. “But the fact that we succeeded in realising the very first automated container terminal in the world in 5 years was a very special accomplishment. Many people had their doubts, but it proved to be a true success!”