CNOOC Huizhou Petrochemical — XY-TMS Intelligent Storage and Loading Management

A tanker loaded with jet fuel pulled slowly out of the loading station, bound for Zhuhai — marking the go-live of the first intelligent loading system at CNOOC Huizhou Petrochemical Co., Ltd. (“Huizhou Petrochemical”).

The system combines modern logistics management, industrial control, fieldbus, industrial Ethernet, mobile internet and big-data technology into one complete intelligent loading solution. It cuts manual intervention in the loading process, raises efficiency, removes a number of management risks and improves the plant’s economics. The trial run has gone well: more than 5,500 truckloads have been tested and over 145,000 tonnes of product shipped.

Lower costs, higher efficiency, self-service operation

Since the truck loading station opened, pre-entry vehicle checks and sales bills of lading had been handled in a nearby car park, followed by a second inspection at the loading station. Loading data entry, vehicle inspection and driver-vehicle verification were all manual — labour-intensive, slow, and exposed to the risk of loading against forged or expired bills of lading.

With the new system, customers no longer need to issue orders on site. They book from a mobile phone, much like shopping online, and file the qualifications of drivers, escorts and vehicles in advance; once the system approves them, they collect the product at the loading station at the booked time.

The system also manages vehicle safety inspections electronically. Explosion-proof smartphones are used to inspect incoming vehicles item by item, and a vehicle is admitted only after every item passes and is signed off. Carrying out the inspection at the loading station itself saves more than RMB 2 million a year, cutting cost and adding value.

Less manual work, more efficient management

Self-service ticketing and settlement terminals are installed in the ticketing hall. After booking and passing the safety inspection, drivers issue their own tickets step by step at the terminal; after loading and the second weighbridge weighing, they print the weighbridge ticket and settle with their ID card. The “do it yourself” service reduces workload, improves efficiency and saves labour.

Unattended weighing brings together digital weighbridge indicators, infrared beams, traffic lights, smart barriers, surveillance cameras, vehicle recognition, large displays and voice prompts. Compared with conventional weighing, manual handling drops sharply while the added control equipment keeps weights accurate and the workflow complete.

Batch loading supervision and process monitoring cover the entire loading operation and generate business records automatically, giving management reliable, accurate and consistent operating data and keeping every loading safe and stable.

Source: Southern+ (Nanfang Media Group). Reporter: Ma Fazhou; correspondents: He Xiaozhong, Liu Junying. Photos: Huizhou Petrochemical.