Norfolk Southern boosts Austell terminal efficiency with INFORM’s optimisation solution

INFORM’s Syncrotess Optimization Plus solution is officially live at Norfolk Southern’s Austell terminal in Atlanta, US. The add-on AI and optimisation solution will help the terminal operator maximise control and efficiency over yard storage, stacked and crane movement operations.

This is not the first project in which INFORM and Norfolk Souther worked together. The Atlanta-based freight railroad and terminal operator implemented the same solution at its Rossvile terminal in Tennessee in 2023.

According to Matthew Wittemeier, Director of Marketing and Sales at INFORM’s Terminal & Distribution Center Logistics Division, getting the Austell terminal up and running has been a journey, yet a rewarding one, considering the positive impact it is expected to have at Norfolk Southern’s operations.

On the same wavelength, Will Deshazor, Norfolk Southern Group Vice President Intermodal Automotive Terminal Operations, stressed that “INFORM’s Syncrotess Optimization Plus solution is helping revolutionise operations at Austell and Rossville terminals, providing unparalleled visibility and efficiency in stacked operations, yard storage, and crane movements.”

Building on existing TOS

INFORM’s add-on AI and optimisation solution takes a modular approach to adding advanced intelligence to a terminal’s existing TOS. This path allows them to isolate the terminal’s specific challenges and provide a tailored solution for their specific operational challenges. As an add-on optimisation solution, Norfolk Southern has built the required optimisation on top of their existing Terminal Operating System (TOS) OPTCS 2.0.

Ahead of the curve

In particular, Norfolk Southern uses INFORM’s Yard Optimizer (YO) to manage their stacked operations intelligently. “The Yard Optimizer works with the TOS to allocate storage locations for containers within the yard, to automatically determine the next operationally efficient move, and to better allocate handover locations for external trucks to minimise travel distance for the container in and out of the stack,” explains the leading software provider.

Matthew Wittemeier highlighted that implementing such a solution and demonstrating that stacking can be done effectively is critical for the industry since, in his view, “the future of most North American intermodal terminals is stacked”.

Besides the Yard Optimizer (YO), the terminal operator also reaps the benefits of the Crane Optimizer (CO) solution, which enhances the movements of overhead cranes, minimises empty travel and maximises the productivity of the lift equipment. Austell is using Kuenz RTG Freerider cranes.