China's ZPMC Is Independently Developing Top-Tier Automated Terminal Gear

(Yicai) May 27 -- Zhenhua Heavy Industries, one of the world's largest heavy equipment manufacturers known as ZPMC, has evolved from a simple provider of port terminal hardware facilities to a source of automated terminal technology by relying on independent innovation.

Several of ZPMC's new products have been put into use in important ports, saving a lot of human resources for port operators, Xu Jianzhong, deputy general manager of the Shanghai-based firm's Changxing production base, told Yicai.  

"After years of effort, ZPMC has developed its real-time integrated management and control terminal operating system for container terminal operators," Xu said. "The system can achieve fully automated operations for all terminal work processes, including unloading, loading, transferring, and transporting, without any manual intervention."

The TOS has been used at several terminals, including the Shanghai Yangshan Port, Xu noted. ZPMC plans to integrate artificial intelligence technology into the system, enabling it to autonomously select appropriate terminal operation strategies based on incoming vessels' types and sizes to further enhance operational efficiency, Xu added.

The Changxing base primarily manufactures port machinery equipment and large-scale engineering vessels, undertaking around 70 percent of ZPMC's steel structure production tasks. It makes over 200 shore cranes and bulk cargo machinery a year, with an annual output value of over CNY10 billion (USD1.4 billion).

ZPMC has also independently developed a series of core offshore engineering equipment in recent years, including the JSD6000 deep-water lifting and pipe-laying ship, scheduled to be delivered to a customer tomorrow, the world's largest piling vessel, and a large suction dredger with a capacity of 30,000 cubic meters that is about to begin construction.

The components of the floating crane products independently developed and made by ZPMC have achieved nearly 100 percent localization, Yan Feng, deputy secretary of the party committee of the Changxing branch, said to Yicai. Gearboxes, brakes, steel plates, steel wires, and other components for lifting and hoisting previously had to be imported, Yan pointed out.

In addition to independently developing new technologies, ZPMC is exploring establishing overseas research branches with partners to jointly develop new technologies and products for smart port machinery equipment, Yan noted.