When it comes to digitizing logistics processes, the yard tends to get overlooked. Eric Breen, director of enterprise sales with Kaleris, explains why it's essential to automate operations in that critical area of the warehouse. 

Digitization of various stages of logistics is all the rage today, yet the yard is often overlooked as a candidate for automation, Breen says. The first priority is to optimize the handling of goods inside the warehouse. After that comes transportation management, in an effort to keep down rising costs. But that leaves a gap, in the form of yard operations that are generally managed with paper, spreadsheets, whiteboards and other manual processes.

Contrary to some perceptions, the yard is more than a parking lot for trucks and trailers. Breen says 80% of delays in the movement of shipments happens there, whether outside a marine terminal, rail depot, factory or warehouse.

Velocity is essential to any freight-handling system, but it can’t happen today without the automation of processes at every stage. In the yard, it starts with the guard shack, then moves into the placement and tracking of equipment once it enters and leaves the premises. Having units in the wrong place at the wrong time results in frictions that are felt all the way back to the production facility, Breen says.

The first step is just to get the data into a computer. It can also be tied to driver apps to monitor trailers as they change hands. Managers need to know the precise location of equipment, down to the SKU level — a lot more detail than is communicated by the statement “It’s in the yard.”

With the right data on hand, facilities can keep track of whether they’re exceeding carriers’ detention allowances, and avoid the need to incur additional costs. They also need to integrate the yard-management system with corresponding apps for warehousing and transportation. The goal, says Breen, is to “automate all the steps of the trailer lifecycle.”