Innovating Site Inductions for 26,000 PD Ports Visitors

PD Ports is one of the UK’s major port groups, operating in 12 locations across the country, connecting cargo with key global markets. Teesport in Middlesbrough is home to the UK headquarters for the port, shipping and logistics company.

PD Ports is also the Statutory Harbour Authority for the River Tees and is therefore responsible for all vessel traffic management, ensuring safe navigation and maintaining channel depths for the thousands of vessels that visit Teesport annually.

PD Ports faced a significant challenge with its previous manual induction process, which proved to be a time-consuming ordeal for security staff at the gatehouse. As a result, long queues for hauliers to drop off their cargo were common, leading to frustration and delays. Visitors to the shipping port also suffered the same fate, with the induction process taking longer than necessary.

To make matters worse, tracking and maintaining induction records was a major challenge, with the manual process making it difficult to store and manage the information efficiently. However, PD Ports recognised the need for a more efficient and streamlined process to improve its operations and offer an exceptional experience to its stakeholders.

In 2015, Intasite collaborated closely with PD Ports' security team to create a pioneering solution, which not only marked the beginning of Intasite but also broke new ground in its field.

"We started looking for a solution to host our induction process on an online platform. From our first conversations through to the final working web based product that was actually based around what we wanted not what they wanted to sell us. All the staff at Intasite were friendly, receptive and customer focussed.

Intasite exceeded expectations by creating engaging and personalised induction videos that catered to the specific needs of hauliers, visitors, and contractors, ensuring that each user only received the information they needed.

Site-specific inductions for Teesport, Hartlepool and Bulks included vivid 2D and 3D animations that brought the site to life, depicting access routes, one-way systems, and speed limits in a way that was easy to digest. This resulted in improved comprehension and engagement, making the induction process a smooth and enjoyable experience for everyone.

As part of the new rollout, Intasite translated the induction content into different languages so that overseas drivers could easily understand and comprehend the safety information provided, promoting inclusivity, clear communication and ensuring maximum efficiency.

As part of PD Ports strategic plans for the future of Unitised operations, the organisation naturally turned to Intasite when the time came to integrate with their new automated gate infrastructure.

The new autogate, which provides efficient and automated processing of cargo and transportation data, required an API from Intasite to enable seamless communication between access cards and induction records.

The API integration also delivered language profiles, enabling signage to be displayed in the relevant language upon arrival, making the entire process smoother and more accessible for all visitors. This feature further enhanced the inclusivity of the induction process and demonstrated Intasite's commitment to providing a seamless experience for all users.

The implementation of the new induction process at PD Ports has not only dramatically improved operations but has also significantly sped up the induction process, reduced queuing times for hauliers, and minimised the time spent by security staff delivering inductions and preparing passes.

PD Ports is the first and longest-standing client of Intasite, with whom we are very proud to be working with. We continue to work closely with the team at Teesport to evolve the platform to meet their changing needs, ensuring that the induction process remains streamlined, efficient, and effective.

"The product was exactly what we hoped for and better still we can develop it making it stronger and more robust as we put it to the test here at a very busy Teesport, we are already in first stage planning of developing into a complete visitor management tool. Long may we continue to work with the Intasite team.”