SAP Yard Logistics Implementation for a Major European Port

The LeverX team implemented scenarios for effective planning of berths and resources in the port based on SAP YL.

Client

A major European port handling a continuously growing volume of cargo, vessels, and workforce operations across multiple terminals. As traffic and complexity increased, the port required a more advanced, data-driven approach to planning berths, routes, and human resources.

Challenge

The port’s existing IT landscape did not fully support efficient planning and coordination across berths, routes, and teams. As the number of port units, resources, and operations grew, the customer faced several challenges:

• Berth planning limitations: No centralized way to plan berth usage, book berth space, and place vessels according to their arrival/departure times and berth size.
• Risk of vessel downtime: Berth unavailability, lack of space for vehicles, or missing resources for loading/unloading could cause vessel downtime in the port.
• Inefficient route planning: Limited automation in defining optimal routes for vessels and aligning yard operations with berth and parking areas.
• Manual and unbalanced human resource planning: It was difficult to distribute workloads evenly across teams, avoid idle resources, and synchronize human resources with vessel schedules.
• Fragmented processes and manual data entry: Key planning and reporting activities relied on manual input, which slowed down operations and reduced overall visibility.

The client needed a centralized planning solution that would improve berth and route planning, optimize labor utilization, and reduce the risk of operational bottlenecks and vessel downtime.

Solution

LeverX customized and expanded the standard SAP Yard Logistics (SAP YL) system to meet the port’s complex operational needs. At the core of the solution, the team implemented a Planning and Control Center Tool that brings together berth planning, route planning, and human resource scheduling in a single environment.

Berth and route planning

The solution enabled the port to:

• Create berth placement requests directly in SAP Yard Logistics
• Define berth usage based on vessel size, arrival/departure time, and berth characteristics
• Automatically define optimal routes for internal vehicles and cargo from the berth to staging/parking areas, and for vessels from anchorage/sea to their designated berth
• Book and optimize berth space using SAP MRS dashboards
• Monitor berth occupation and vessel movements through real-time reporting integrated into internal systems

This provided planners with a clear, visual picture of berth availability and vessel flow, reducing the risk of conflicts and delays.

Human resource planning

To address labor planning and workload distribution, LeverX delivered functionality that:

• Automatically distributes tasks based on team size, availability, and qualifications
• Aligns human resource planning with berth schedules so that loading and unloading teams are available when vessels arrive
• Reduces manual activity through streamlined data entry and integrated planning workflows
• Provides visual reporting, so supervisors can quickly assess workload, availability, and performance

As a result, work is distributed more evenly across employees, and resource shortages or idle time are minimized.

LeverX contribution

To achieve these outcomes, LeverX:

• Extended SAP Yard Logistics by adding features such as berth position selection and planning groups.
• Developed a Yard Schedule application from scratch to support the Planning and Control Center Tool.
• Enhanced the user interface by upgrading existing UI components and creating new interactive dashboards for planners and supervisors.
• Built batch processing reports and data entry services to speed up operational workflows and reduce manual effort.
• Integrated third-party and SAP systems, including CAR Center via web services, SAP Multiresource Scheduling (SAP MRS), and Solver, which improved the visualization of planning results, resource allocation, and overall operational coordination across the port.

Technology Stack

• Core yard management: SAP YL
  A central solution for managing yard, berth, and vessel-related operations. Supports berth requests, berth position selection, planning groups, and integration with external planning tools.
• Resource scheduling: SAP MRS
  A solution used to schedule and visualize human resources and operational activities. Provides dashboards for berth and task planning, helping to align workforce allocation with vessel schedules.
• Optimization and time management: Solver
  A third-party application that supports time management, resource allocation, and prioritization of unloading operations. Integrated with SAP YL and SAP MRS to improve planning accuracy and visibility.
• Integration layer: Web services for CAR Center
  A web service-based integration between SAP Yard Logistics and the CAR Center system, enabling seamless data exchange and consistent information across planning tools.
• Databases: SAP HANA, in-memory planning DB, SQL database
• Database: SAP HANA is a primary database for SAP systems, ensuring fast access to operational and planning data.
• Planning database: In-memory DB for planning supports high-performance planning calculations and real-time updates.
• Operational database: SQL database is used for storing and processing related operational data, supporting reporting and integration scenarios.

Results

By implementing the Planning and Control Center Tool based on SAP Yard Logistics and integrated solutions, the port achieved tangible operational benefits:

• Reduced loading and unloading time: Loading and unloading zones are now positioned as close as possible to vehicle parking areas, reducing movement time and improving vessel turnaround.
• Optimized human resource planning: Workload is distributed more evenly across teams, helping to avoid idle resources and ensuring that the right number of employees is available at the right time.
• Significantly reduced vessel downtime in the port: With improved berth planning, booking, and resource alignment, the risk of vessel downtime due to berth unavailability or resource shortages has been substantially reduced.
• Improved transparency and decision-making: Real-time dashboards and integrated reporting provide planners and managers with a clear view of berth usage, resource allocation, and operational status.

LeverX helped the customer transform complex port operations into a streamlined, data-driven process powered by SAP Yard Logistics and an integrated planning landscape.