Small improvements to one operator’s performance can have a measurable impact that ripples throughout the entire port operation.
Take, for example, a ship-to-shore crane operator who improves their cycle time. An improvement of 4 moves per hour translates to 32 more container moves in a shift. This means that the port has gained almost 2 hours of productivity from a single crane. If that operator is able to increase their cycle time from 15 to the industry average of 24, that means a savings of $6,390 per shift when considering the time and manpower savings achieved. Compounded, the savings add up to over $100,000 within just 15 shifts, or one week of operation.
That’s just one operator. Now imagine those benefits across an entire workforce.
The right training data makes this type of workforce development possible. That’s because good training data helps ports:
How much of an impact can data have on port workforce development? Whether used for straddle carrier training, empty container handler training, ship-to-shore crane training, or training for any other port equipment, the benefits are substantial.
Before diving into what a port can do with its training data, it’s important to explain the types of data a training simulator can provide.
With a simulation training system like Intellia by CM Labs, ports can access data on the following:
- Metrics from individual exercises, such as the time spent in pendulum, times the load passed over a human, and contacts with cones—to name a few
- Port operator training data such as seat time, equipment type used, and score achieved in exercises
- Port operator ability in specific areas of operation, such as safety, productivity, and quality (at CM Labs, we call them performance indicators)
How a trainee’s score and performance indicators evolve over time
It’s also possible to take this data and save it as a PDF, or export it to Excel or a learning management system (LMS), such as Moodle or Blackboard. This way, trainers can further analyze training data.
Now let’s take a look at what a port can achieve with this data.
Data makes port operator training effectiveness easier to measure. It makes port training more objective, and that objectivity helps to identify weaknesses that might have been harder to identify or convey to an operator before.
At the Port of Tilbury, for example, Simon Harper—the port’s Learning & Development Manager and Director—found that training data made it easier for operators to understand which skills they needed to improve.
“With the simulator, you can generate a reporting graph that shows how many times a trainee pulled back and forth to try and get a box into the guides of the ship,” said Harper. “A lot of people like to think ‘I was quite smooth on that.’ But the graphical evidence is a powerful tool for disabusing them of that view! That’s the benefit of the assessment capabilities of the simulator. It’s objective, whereas clearly humans are subjective.”
Being able to show a port crane operator exactly how much time they spent in pendulum, for example, makes it easier for trainers to provide corrective training and reduce that time. As a result, training outcomes improve in measurable ways as cycle times improve, time spent in pendulum decreases, and overall productivity soars.
With data on an operator’s strengths and weaknesses, instructors can personalize training easily. An instructor can review an operator’s performance indicators to see which areas they excel in—such as productivity, safety, or quality—and then work to improve the specific skills that need more attention.
Crucially, a training manager can also track this data over time. For example, if a port crane operator dramatically improved their productivity but also substantially decreased their safety score throughout the course of their training, a trainer could spot that trade off, dig deeper into the metrics of the operator’s safety violations, and address any unsafe behavior before it caused a safety incident.
A good simulation training system will allow trainers to craft custom learning paths that suit the needs and skills of a particular operator. After evaluating an operator’s skills, instructors can design custom learning paths to meet an operator at the level best suited to their ability. For more experienced operators, that might mean skipping introductory lessons and focusing on more advanced exercises. As a result, training isn’t just more personalized, but also more efficient.
Objectivity and consistency in operator evaluations helps ensure that everyone is tested under the exact same conditions and held to the exact same standards. For operators, this objectivity proves that a fair approach is applied to all. There is no doubt about whether the weather on a particular day affected an evaluation, for example.
Port data also makes the evaluation process simpler, as scores become easy to track at a glance. While instructors can dig deep into specific metrics, they can also quickly review an operator’s score and performance indicators at-a-glance, for an objective and data-informed understanding of readiness and ability. Exporting data to Excel, Moodle, or Blackboard further helps to streamline administration and record-keeping of evaluations.
Simulation training is known for making initial training safer, as well as for reducing the likelihood of a safety incident later on.
At the Port of Tilbury, for example, Simon Harper observed that operators were less likely to have a safety incident after completing training on a simulator. “Those who have been trained on the simulator seem to have fewer low-level incidents than those that weren’t trained on a simulator,” said Harper. “You can make a mistake in a simulator, where of course you can’t do that on the real machine. And one of the things we say in the training world is that the best way to learn is through your mistakes.”
In addition to making port operator training safer, simulation also provides the data and tools needed to improve safety training itself. Detailed metrics on safety violations make it easier for instructors to quickly catch risky behaviors before they become habits, avoiding negative training. Metrics allow trainees to address issues through concentrated practice and personalized feedback from their instructor.
Accurate and timely port operator training data isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a competitive advantage ports can’t afford to overlook. Data helps to improve training outcomes, personalize training, simplify evaluations, and enhance safety training.
The benefits of training data also complement the many other benefits of simulation training, such as:
- Faster training times—some ports effectively halve training times with simulation
- Enhanced container terminal productivity—some ports have been able to halve the amount of time needed to move bulk material
- Additional support of decarbonization and sustainability efforts—ports using simulators for training typically burn less fuel during training and experience fewer equipment repairs
- Enhanced lesson planning support—ports can add an unlimited number of users to their intelligent training system, use it to craft custom learning paths, monitor multiple trainees at once, and inject machine faults into exercises.
- Training for specific scenarios—instructors can use the exercise-building feature to recreate specific challenging scenarios they would like operators to train for.
For many, the cumulative benefits of simulation training affect the entire organization, providing a substantial return on investment.
Want to calculate the ROI your organization could achieve with simulation training? Try our ROI calculator to find out.
