Modern terminal operations demand precision, efficiency, and adaptability in the face of constantly changing industry conditions. Terminals must deal with customs, trucking companies, shipping lines, and other stakeholders, keep dwell time to a minimum, and reduce congestion. All this is done while keeping up with training, regulatory changes, geopolitical shifts, and strict safety protocols.
Tideworks Technology collaborates with our clients to navigate evolving industry demands through a foundational approach built on four core pillars. These pillars form the basis of our solutions to help terminals streamline operations, enhance safety standards, and simplify complex processes. By partnering closely with operators, we aim to deliver meaningful value and support their success in an increasingly dynamic environment.
Today, we break down these four pillars and show how they are paving the way for the terminals of the future.
A Unified Approach Through Standardized Solutions
Terminal Operators are under severe pressure. An overwhelming majority of goods, roughly 80%, are transported by ship today—with the volume more than doubling between 1990 and 2021. In 2024, they grappled with surging container volumes, exceeding pre-pandemic levels, straining yard capacity, and scheduling. Environmental regulations and labor shortages created even more challenges.
The last thing operators need is to deal with proprietary software and hard-to-decipher, non-customizable interfaces. That’s why Tideworks has emphasized standardized product offerings. This philosophy ensures that all our solutions maintain consistent performance, compatibility, and usability, providing terminal operators with a smooth and intuitive experience.
Products like Mainsail 10 and Spinnaker show uniformity in design and function. Maintaining a consistent interface and operational structure across the Tideworks product line, will help clients minimize training time. You also benefit from no-fuss system updates.
Standardization offers more than operational convenience, however. It reduces the risks associated with deploying varied systems, often resulting in exhaustive downtime. For terminal operators, our preferred approach translates into faster update implementation and a more cohesive workflow in all aspects.
Increased Value with Real-Time Data
Data-driven operations are essential for staying competitive. Tideworks’ innovative “data fabric” integrates information across systems, enabling secure, instantaneous data sharing among customers, partners, and clients.
As a result, our technology dramatically reduces processing times—from 30 minutes to as little as five seconds—allowing terminal operators to respond to challenges in real time.
The Universal API Gateway also brings secure integration across disparate systems. With all these tools at their disposal, terminals are now in a strong position to apply actionable insights and make faster, better-informed decisions to preempt potential bottlenecks, boost productivity, and streamline operations.
Bolstering Relationships Through Customer-Centric Engagement
The importance of collaboration and a customer-centric approach are at the core of our philosophy. Only by working closely with clients can we continually refine our technologies and address challenges faced by terminal operators at the most granular level. This includes cleantech, dealing with the risk of natural disasters, and the issue of multigenerational terminal operations.
Our feedback-driven approach has resulted in innovations like a virtual training tool we created with a client to assist with equipment driver training on the terminal and an extensive Knowledge Base with over 1,300 resources, which provides users with access to tailored solutions and robust self-service support.
A key aspect of this pillar is Tideworks’ dedication to understanding and resolving customer pain points. Our comprehensive Support Portal provides efficient troubleshooting and resources, equipping customers to resolve issues swiftly.
Tideworks is prepared to help terminal operators face the future. As carriers get larger, ships will continue to expand, and terminals must adapt or scale to manage the transition. On-demand cargo pickup and automated and semi-automated electrified tractors, trains, trucks, and ships will help increase efficiency and decrease turnaround times. These issues can only be solved through holistic, integrated planning with relevant stakeholders.
Advancing the Industry Through Continuous Innovation
Staying ahead in the industry requires a commitment to innovation. Tideworks has repeatedly demonstrated this commitment through our ongoing investments in advanced technologies and forward-looking solutions.
One such example is the Tideworks Data Platform and Data Governance application, designed to prepare operational data for AI and machine learning applications.
To further boost operational efficiency, Tideworks has embraced cloud-enabled solutions, allowing terminal operators to access critical data and applications from anywhere, thereby improving decision-making and responsiveness. This approach reduces the need for extensive on-site IT infrastructure and ensures systems are scalable, cost-effective and adaptable.
Our focus on continuous innovation is also evident in our adoption of microservices architecture. This design allows for the development and deployment of modular components that can be independently updated or replaced, enabling rapid integration of new features. Such an approach enables terminals to remain agile, quickly adapting to industry changes and customer requirements.
Our Optimization Hub is another testament to our future-oriented approach, as it helps operators access automation tools and third-party integrations to build their own long-term solutions, while avoiding vendor lock-in. With cloud-enabled tech and microservices architecture, there is no need to overhaul entire legacy systems.
Continually Raising the Standard of Global Terminal Operations
These four pillars—standardized solutions, data-driven innovation, customer engagement, and continuous advancement—form a cohesive strategy that addresses the multifaceted challenges of modern terminal operations. They reflect Tideworks’ dedication to providing lasting value and success to our network of marine and rail terminals across the globe.
But we’re not stopping here. As the industry evolves, we’re dedicated to continuing our work with clients, innovating together, and finding new ways to tackle emerging challenges and unlock opportunities.
Interested in learning more about what Tideworks can do for your terminal? Reach out today.