Press release

Major order after successful tests in largest German trans-

shipment centre for containers

Burchardkai Container Terminal receives

LPR global positioning system from
Symeo
Neubiberg, 03 May 2010 – The container transportation vehicles at the
Burchardkai Container Terminal at the Port of Hamburg are to be
equipped with the Local Positioning Radar (LPR®) from Symeo GmbH. The
terminal operator has just signed a delivery contract with Symeo. In the
lead-up to the deal, extensive tests were conducted in which the system
exceeded the expectations of the operator. Symeo’s wireless sensor
system is a comprehensive positioning system used to monitor the
movement of all of the containers in the terminal and replaces an older
system to achieve significant improvements in the container handling
efficiency at the Burchardkai.
The Burchardkai Container Terminal owned by Hamburger Hafen und Logistik
AG (HHLA) is the largest and oldest operation of its kind at the Port of
Hamburg. Twenty-seven ship-to-shore cranes load and unload up to 5,000
ships each year and, within the next few years, the handling capacity is
expected to double thanks to the modern anchorage for large ships and the
automated block storage system.
Currently, around 110 van carriers and seven reach stackers are used to
transport the containers around the terminal site, but the reach stackers work
exclusively in the empty container area. The terminal operator is now planning
to gradually equip the entire fleet of 6- to 12 m-high vehicles with LPR systems
in successive stages. This will help the operator to determine the exact position
of the containers in the terminal.

Clear advantages of the new LPR system

Symeo’s LPR solution uses wireless technology, which enables it to work
independently of weather and visibility conditions and means that it is not
affected by dirt or dust. The new LPR system enables the operator to determine
the precise position of all vehicles in all areas of the terminal, especially in

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transfer areas to the new automatic storage system. In addition, with the new
system, the height of the vehicles plays no role in system operation. The old
laser system was only able to process vehicles of the same height. Also, the
laser devices were getting older and were increasingly causing maintenance
and repair costs. The Symeo LPR units have no moving parts, making them
practically maintenance-free.
In addition, a problem with the existing DGPS receivers was that the signals
from the GPS satellites were shadowed by tall nearby structures such as
container stacks, ships and, in particular, ship-to-shore cranes. For this reason,
the system was unable to supply reliable GPS positioning data in the transfer
area to the automatic storage area. Unlike the previous system, the Symeo
system can securely cover even difficult areas, since the fixed transponders are
suitably distributed across the entire terminal site.

Test proves LPR precise and reliable

The LPR system was subjected to extensive testing at the container yard , in
the areas under the ship to shore cranes, the transfer area to the automatic
storage area, the empty container storage area and on straddle carriers of
different heights. The system met expectations in every area. The goal was to
ensure that the system was highly reliable and able to track the position of
containers with an accuracy of ±1 m. Over the course of the 14-week test, the
LRP system presented the operator with an availability of 99.2% and a
positioning accuracy of up to ±20 cm.
Symeo plans to equip Burchardkai’s entire fleet with LPR positioning systems in
successive stages. The first ten straddle carriers are to be equipped with
Symeo systems by June of this year. The system is to be installed on an
additional 40 vehicles by the end of 2011. The positioning system will first be
installed in the yard and the transfer area to the new automatic storage area. In
the second phase of the installation, the positioning system is to be installed in
the area under the ship-to-shore cranes. The Symeo system is the only solution
on the market that is capable of fulfilling the positioning requirements with the
required reliability and accuracy.

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Available images

The following images are available for download in printable format at:
http://www.htcm.de/kk/symeo

All container transportation vehicles at

the Burchardkai Container Terminal in
the Port of Hamburg are gradually
being equipped with the Local
®
Positioning Radar (LPR ) from Symeo
GmbH
.

Antenna of the Symeo LPR® on one of around

110 van carriers at the Burchardkai Container
Terminal in the Port of Hamburg.

Symeo transponder on one of the crane

bridges at HHLA’s Burchardkai
container terminal.
Twenty-seven crane bridges load and unload
containers from 5,000 ships each year at the
Burchardkai Container Terminal owned by
Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA).

100503 Symeo_major order for containers.doc 3/6

 ®
The Symeo LPR technology offers reliable
position monitoring for straddle carriers,
particularly under the unloading cranes and in
the transfer area for the automatic storage
system.
The Symeo components can be easily
mounted on existing light poles and on
all types of vehicles.

®
The Symeo LPR technology offers reliable
position monitoring for straddle carriers,
particularly under the unloading cranes and in
the transfer area for the automatic storage
system.

The Symeo components can be easily

mounted on existing light poles and on
all types of vehicles.

100503 Symeo_major order for containers.doc 4/6

 ®
The Symeo LPR technology facilitates
comprehensive positioning throughout the
terminal.
Using only four additional
transponders, the system is able to
determine the position of the straddle
carriers, even under a crane bridge.

The LPR is also used to determine the positions

of the vehicles in the transfer area to the HHLA’s
new automatic storage system.

100503 Symeo_major order for containers.doc 5/6

Symeo GmbH

Symeo GmbH

Symeo develops and markets products and solutions enabling accurate and
contactless position detection for vehicles, cranes, and objects, for distance
measurement, as well as anti-collision systems. Symeo’s products are of robust design
and are suited for applications in rough industrial environments.

Symeo offers Local Positioning Radar (LPR®), a radio based, real-time capable
absolute measuring system ideally suited for industrial applications. Symeo has years
of experience in developing cost-effective and custom industrial solutions based on
LPR technology and combining LPR with other contactless sensor technology (e.g.,
optical systems, inertial sensors, GPS).

The company provides system integrators, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs),

and users the world over with standard products and complete solutions.

Head office: Symeo GmbH, Prof.-Messerschmitt-Strasse 3, 85579 Neubiberg, Germany

Telephone: +49 89 6607796-0, Fax: +49 89 6607796-190
E-mail: info@symeo.com, Website: www.symeo.com

Press Contact:

HighTech communications GmbH

Heike Mittmann
Grasserstrasse 1c
D-80339 Munich
Germany

Phone.: +49 89 500778-20

Fax: +49 89 500778-78
E-mail: h.mittmann@htcm.de
Website: www.htcm.de

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