In 2000, Hong Kong broke the world record by unloading 336 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) off a ship in just one hour -- a record that stands to this day. Last year, the port handled 19 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), making it once again the world's busiest container port. This year the port is expected to break through the 20 million mark.

These mind-boggling achievements and more have all been made possible thorough continuous investments in information technology, Thomson Ho, IT Manager-Infrastructure, Modern Terminals Limited explained to members during the Chamber's visit to Modern Terminals Berth One in Kwai Chung on August 19.

Looking out from Modern Terminal control center at the six-high towers of TEUs filling its yard, what seems to be a logistical nightmare is in fact a perfectly orchestrated operation running at 99.98 percent efficiency. Mr Ho's goal is to reach 100 percent next year when the company switches to an IBM e-server pSeries 690, the most powerful computer and first of its kind in Hong Kong.

Modern Terminals invests approximately HK$100 million annually on IT-related developments, but Mr Ho said as the company's IT manager, he has to ensure that it is money well spent.

"IT people are always spending company money and we don't generate money for a company," he said. "But what we try to ensure is that the money we spend increases the efficiency of operations and helps the company make more money."

While land restrictions seem to physically constrain the container throughput at Modern Terminals, Mr Ho said IT will continue to ensure the operation grows. One of his pet projects is to reduce the average truck turnaround time from 29.65 minutes, to 10 minutes. With around 3,400 trucks dropping off and picking up cargo at the terminal daily, simply avoiding traffic snarls would seem to be his biggest challenge. But Mr Ho has started using truckers' mobile phones to tell them when and where they should be at a certain time to pick up, or deliver their cargo.

"We have tried other means to do this, such as the Internet, but we have found the best solution is the mobile phone, because almost everyone has one and is comfortable using it," he said.

Interestingly, it is not always the most advanced or most expensive technology that is the best solution. Mr Ho pointed out that a wireless LAN system coats the entire terminal, which is much easier and cheaper to install and use than a dedicated radio channel. This also allows a wide range of communication technologies, from pagers to mobile phones to hand-held terminals, to work seamlessly throughout the terminal yard and gatehouse.