Deployment

Ports & Container Terminals

Terminal operating systems are still Windows. The device has to meet the TOS where it is.

A container terminal does not buy hardware because of a datasheet. It buys because the gate, the yard and the vessel have to keep moving while the terminal operating system stays the system of record. In practice that means a Windows client far more often than an Android one: Navis N4, TOPS, CATOS and most in-house TOS front ends still ship as Win32 or .NET thick clients, and the yard and gate modules lean on ActiveX controls, serial COM ports and local printer drivers that no browser-based Android app can replace. We ship Windows handhelds and vehicle terminals for exactly that reason, and we say so before the first call rather than after the pilot.

Who actually makes the purchase

Terminal operators, stevedoring contractors, container depot and freight-station IT, and the integrators who wire the gate to the TOS.

Where these projects stall

Typical software in this stack

Send this requirement

The TOS front end is a Windows thick client

Gate and yard modules often depend on COM ports, ActiveX or a local print driver. An Android device cannot host them, and rewriting the client costs more than the entire hardware line. We quote Windows first here and only move to Android where the TOS already exposes a web or API path.

Salt, heat and vibration finish consumer kit in one season

A terminal is a corrosion chamber with a schedule. Airborne salt plus 40 C ambient plus continuous engine vibration at the yard takes out IP54 hardware in months. IP65/IP67 bodies, wide-temperature batteries and vibration-rated vehicle mounts are the entry ticket, not an upgrade.

The label is unreadable exactly when it matters

Container and pallet labels get wet, oiled and abraded. A 1D laser that read fine in the demo fails on a salt-stained barcode at the gate. 2D imagers with high-motion tolerance and a real aiming pattern keep the queue moving; RFID only helps where the tag survives the steel box.

Data flow

How the information actually moves

This is the part that decides the device. Each step below has a different requirement for screen size, scan engine and connectivity.

01Berth and vesselVessel schedule and stowage plan loaded in the TOS. Clerks on deck and in the hatch scan container numbers against the bay plan; the device is a 10-inch Windows tablet with a glove-capable screen and a hot-swap battery that survives a full shift.

02Discharge and tallyTally clerks confirm each move as it happens. This is the step where a dropped scan becomes a re-handle, so the scanner has to read a dirty CSC plate at arm's length, not a pristine label held ten centimetres away.

03Yard and stackReach stackers, RTGs and empty handlers carry a vehicle terminal. Power comes from the machine, so the mount has to be vibration-rated and the screen readable in direct sun at 40 C. Position is confirmed by the TOS, not by the driver typing a slot.

04Gate in and gate outThe gate is the bottleneck with a camera on it. A fixed or docked Windows terminal runs the gate application, reads the container and the plate, prints the interchange receipt on the local printer and posts the EDI message. Queue time is the KPI that gets measured.

05Customs and inspectionHolds, inspection and rework moves happen away from the gate, often with no network. Batch scanning with deferred sync, then a clean upload when the device is back in coverage, is the difference between a record and an argument.

Reference deployments

Ports programmes we can talk about

Same workflow, same failure points, different scale. The kit column is what was actually deployed.

All deployments

8 h → 30 min Retail & apparel

Fashion chain, 200+ stores

Full stock-take of a two-floor store, done before opening instead of after closing.

UHF RFID handheld + fixed reader at the stockroom door

10 M parcels / day Parcel & logistics

Global logistics hub

Sortation reads at belt speed; no manual re-scan when a label is creased.

Pistol-grip UHF reader + vehicle terminal on the tug

1,800 spindles Production & MES

Smart textile mill

Spindle-level traceability replaces paper travellers on the spinning line.

Rugged tablet at the line + UHF handheld for the doff round

Hardware

Devices we quote for this deployment

BH-I61J

Windows · Handhelds

6.5" Windows rugged handheld

NFC2D scanWindows

View specs

BV-V80J

Windows · Vehicle mount

8" Windows rugged vehicle terminal

12.2" Windows rugged tablet

FingerprintNFC2D scan

View specs

BT-I10N

Windows · Tablets

10.1" Windows rugged tablet

FingerprintNFC2D scan

View specs

BPC-P15A

Windows · Panel PCs

15.6" Windows rugged panel PC

2D scanWindows

View specs

Questions we get

Before you ask

The questions that come up on almost every project in this sector, answered before the first call.

All questions

01Our TOS is Windows only. Can an Android device ever work?

Only if the TOS exposes a web client or a documented API and your integrator is willing to rebuild the gate screens against it. Where the client is a Win32/.NET thick app with COM or ActiveX dependencies, no. We quote a Windows handheld (BH-I61J, 6.5 inch, IP67) or a Windows tablet, and connect it to the same back end through a middleware layer if the TOS needs one.

02Handheld or vehicle terminal for the yard?

Both, and they are different purchases. The handheld belongs to the clerk who walks around the box; the vehicle terminal belongs to the machine and is wired to its power. Buying handhelds for reach stackers is the most common way to waste a budget in this sector.

03Is UHF RFID worth it on containers?

For the steel box itself, rarely: the tag has to survive handling and the read point has to be a portal, not a handheld. Where RFID pays back is the depot and the freight station - palletised cargo, empty-container inventory and yard equipment tracking, where a handheld with a 4 dBi antenna covers 8-12 m and turns a clipboard walk into a pass.

04Can you supply five units for a pilot?

Yes. A pilot is the normal entry point. We quote single units at sample pricing and support the pilot with spare parts on the same order — a spare battery and a cradle, not a pallet.

05Do the Android units ship with GMS?

Most Android models ship with GMS. For builds where Google services must be absent, we supply a GMS-free firmware on the same hardware — say so at the quotation stage, because it is a firmware decision, not a setting.

06What warranty do you give?

One year as standard, covering the unit and the battery against manufacturing faults. Extended cover and advance-replacement terms are available for fleets — ask for them with the quotation, not after the first failure.

Handheld UHF RFID across eight industries: what the tag has to survive

Medical, power, energy, construction, mining, oil and gas, electronics and agriculture — the asset, the tag problem, the read distance that matters and the device each one needs.

Running a ports project?

Send the workflow and the software stack. You will get two models and the caveats, not a catalogue.

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