Customer & Terminal Context
Our client operates the leading container terminal in Estonia, handling approximately 284,000 TEU in 2024–2025. The terminal serves as a key hub on the North–South and East–West trade routes through the Baltic region.
When they acquired the terminal in 2018, they selected Cone Center to implement a Gate Operating System from the ground up.
Operational Challenge
Cone Center was already supporting terminal operations under the previous operator, but without a gate module in place. Gate operations were entirely manual — document collection, checking and validation happened at the gate itself, with each truck processed by hand. Gate processing time could exceed up to one hour per truck.
When our client acquired the terminal in 2018, addressing gate operations was an early priority. Long queues, uneven workload across gate clerks and tallymen during peak hours, and no structured way to manage traffic flow or balance capacity across shifts — all of it traced back to the same root cause: no advance data, no automation, and every truck arrival starting with paperwork.
Solution: Cone GOS
Cone Center implemented a complete gate automation system for the terminal, starting from zero.
The core of the setup is a self-service kiosk combined with automated barriers and license plate recognition. Truck appointments are submitted through a Port Community System, where transport companies pre-register visits and provide cargo documentation in advance. By the time a truck arrives at the gate, its data is already validated in the system. Document collection and checking that previously happened manually at the gate now happens before the truck reaches the terminal.
Once a truck is admitted, the system prints a routing slip directing the driver to the correct cargo discharge or loading location. Gate-out follows the same automated flow. Damage inspection and liability traceability are handled digitally as part of the gate process.
The GOS integrates with Solvo TOS for operational data exchange, as well as a custom ERP and document management system, Estonian customs for transit declaration clearance, and EDBIC for broader connectivity.
Outcomes & Long-Term Cooperation
The immediate operational impact was straightforward: advance truck appointment data eliminated manual document handling at the gate, and processing time dropped from up to an hour under the previous operator to under five minutes with the automated system in place.
Beyond gate speed, the system balanced workload across gate staff and shifts, reduced mis-routing through advance cargo location visibility, and removed data gaps between the gate and yard operations. Terminal staff and the TOS now work from the same information, entered once.
The system has been in continuous operation since 2018 and remains a core part of the terminal's infrastructure.
Stakeholder Perspective
According to the terminal's Container Terminal Manager:
"Cone Center has been running our gate operations since 2018. The system handles our gate processes 24/7, and it has been reliable throughout. When we need something adjusted, they respond quickly — that matters when you are running live terminal operations."
