Deutsche Telekom boosts automation in port logistics

For this project, Deutsche Telekom deployed a 5G network with a special connection and an edge data center

German carrier Deutsche Telekom has deployed its technology at the publicly funded “AutoLog” project in the port of Emden to introduce automation into the facility’ workflows at automotive terminals for more efficiency. To this end, Deutsche Telekom has deployed a 5G network with a special connection and an edge data center for fast data processing on site.

The carrier worked in partnership with Volkswagen Group Logistics, the “Bremer Institut für Produktion und Logistik” (BIBA) and software expert Unikie.

The Emden site is a central hub in the Volkswagen Group’s transportation network. The handling of vehicles at the automotive terminal requires a large number of specialists to carry out the vehicle movements and shuttle transportation of drivers to the next vehicle with a driving order. More than 1 million vehicles are handled in Emden every year – including imports from overseas locations and exports for supply to global, the German carrier said.

For the “AutoLog” project, Deutsche Telekom is providing the logistics area in the port of Emden with 5G coverage. The Volkswagen plant in Emden is directly connected to the port, which means that various traffic situations, such as the mixed operation of manually and automatically driven vehicles, can be tested. The test field includes parking areas for cars, several roads and a heavily used roundabout, the carrier added.

Also, a digital twin of this test field will be created using LiDAR sensors installed in the port of Emden. These sensors can detect very small details very accurately and in real time. They perceive everything that moves or stands still – such as people, vehicles and objects. The sensors are highly reliable in different light and weather conditions.

Software company Unikie is supplying the system for the automatic control of the vehicles, a so-called “marshalling system”. The digital replica of the parking spaces is an essential part of the system. The Unikie Marshalling Solution (UMS) ensures that the vehicles can be controlled precisely and safely, even in densely populated or confined areas. Communication with the vehicles takes place via the public 5G network. In the future, LiDAR sensors will also use mobile communications to connect to the UMS, the carrier stated.

“On the test field in the port of Emden, the partners want to explore what requirements need to be met for processes and infrastructure at automotive terminals. They also want to clarify how the technical infrastructure for safe vehicle control needs to be designed. In addition, they want to find ways to improve storage and logistics processes,” Deutsche Telekom said in a statement, adding that leading safety challenge is the coordination between automated and manual vehicles as well as pedestrians that all move simultaneously.