Reducción del Tiempo promedio de ciclo de camiones en el proceso de recepción de contenedores para exportación

Abstract

CONDITION FOR PUBLICATION OF PROJECT. The objective of this project is to reduce the average truck turnaround time (TTAT) in a port terminal in Guayaquil to 23 minutes, compared to an average of 46 minutes in 2024, a situation that affected customer satisfaction, port equipment costs, and process efficiency. The DMAIC methodology was applied, through which root causes were identified and three complementary solutions were designed: improving the yard cargo distribution strategy through a linear programming model, eliminating static resources such as the use of paper by replacing them with real-time digital guides, and employing predictive models to manage unscheduled cargo by recommending schedules to customers in the appointment system. The three solutions were comprehensively evaluated under two scenarios, ideal and improved, comparing them with the current situation. In the ideal scenario, an average TTAT of 19 minutes per truck was achieved and variability was reduced by 19% compared to the baseline, thanks to the optimization of yard operational execution; in addition, customer satisfaction increased by 38% and equipment hourly costs decreased by 30%. To ensure the sustainability of the results, KPI control measures and standardized processes were established to allow performance monitoring and guarantee the fulfillment of the solutions. Overall, the project significantly reduces TTAT, stabilizes yard operations, and increases customer satisfaction, generating sustained savings in costs and time. The terminal operates with data-driven decision-making, supported by a control and continuous improvement system that maintains the results and enables their scaling. Keywords: DMAIC methodology, Linear programming models, Average cycle time, Predictive models.