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Lianyungang Port Sets New Record with 350,000 Vehicles Exported

From: Lianyungang Daily Updated: 2024-12-29 03:48

On December 27th, the 350,000th vehicle for export in 2024 was smoothly dispatched from the automated parking garage of the Lianyungang International Green and Smart Automotive Logistics Center. This not only signifies that Lianyungang Port has once again refreshed and will continue to set new heights for its annual vehicle export record but also marks the official contribution of the largest, most intelligent, and integrated AGV parking building in China's port industry, which is also the first to achieve zero carbon emissions, to the country's automotive exports.

At 10:18 am that day, 68 export vehicles adorned with red ribbons were automatically driven out of the logistics center's parking spaces by AGV robots and loaded onto the "Anji Weixin" ro-ro vessel in an orderly manner, sounding their horns as they set sail. These are the first batch of export vehicles to enjoy the "elevator ride, high-rise accommodation, and autonomous driving" treatment since Lianyungang Port's automotive exports have grown for seven consecutive years.

According to data from the General Administration of Customs, China's total automotive exports reached 5.221 million vehicles in 2023, representing a year-on-year increase of 57.4% and making China the world's largest automotive exporter. Against this backdrop, flat storage yards at domestic automotive terminals have become scarce. Although Lianyungang Port ranks among the top three automotive export ports in China, its storage yard area is only 100,000 square meters, which to some extent constrains the development of the port's automotive export business.

Based on the demand for smart port construction, Lianyungang Port decided at the end of 2022 to build a high-tech parking lot—a double-deck AGV robot automated parking system—at the Lianyungang International Green and Smart Automotive Logistics Center, a key project supported by the national logistics hub infrastructure and shortcoming rectification program. After 18 months of construction and installation, the center was completed and accepted in June 2024. Following nearly six months of trial operation, the logistics center has been functioning smoothly and conveniently, with the intelligent scheduling system and management platform for automotive warehousing stably integrated with the port's production management system. Therefore, it was decided to officially launch it on a large scale from now on, further enhancing the port's storage capacity.

Located adjacent to the port's automotive terminal, the logistics center covers an area of 24,000 square meters, with a total investment of 336 million yuan. It comprises a four-story AGV garage and a one-story self-driving parking lot, equipped with 16 car halls, 16 lifts, and 48 AGV robots, capable of accommodating 5,200 imported and exported vehicles at once. Solar green electricity is installed on the rooftop, generating 1 million kWh of electricity annually to power the logistics center and other operations at the terminal. The parking spaces in the logistics center are designed to accommodate large and extra-large vehicles, with an annual turnover capacity of 180,000 vehicles. In this high-tech parking lot, robots serve as special workers, capable of operating 24/7, 365 days a year, and using AI calculations based on vehicle export destinations, loading times, and car brands to automatically sort, prepare, and manage vehicles, significantly improving operational efficiency and saving two days compared to traditional manual vehicle preparation processes.

The project was constructed by Shenzhen CIMC Intelligent Parking Co., Ltd. Cheng Hongda, the company's Managing Director, introduced that the AGV robot automated parking garage not only increases land utilization by nine times but also saves at least 20% of the construction cost. It replaces traditional inefficient manual operations with more intelligent methods such as smart inventory, smart in/out operations, smart maintenance, and visual operation, facilitating the port's digital and intelligent upgrade.

Currently, the logistics center is not only the largest AGV robot smart parking building globally but also the most digitally and intelligently integrated ro-ro automotive logistics center in the port industry. It is also the first true zero-carbon automotive logistics warehouse in China, serving as a model and benchmark for the port's ro-ro automotive business.