Visy joins the Container Owners Association

Visy Oy is proud to join the COA as a technology provider. Since Visy’s formation over 25 years ago, the Finnish technology company has sought to improve the flow of cargo through systems that reduce operating expenses, optimize safety and security, and improve operational efficiency. Partnering with organizations such as the COA who share a common goal to continuously develop industry standards and promote safe operations of containers, is a logical next step in Visy’s evolution.

“Damaged cargo costs the industry hundreds of millions of dollars per year,” says Petri Granroth, Visy CEO. “As a vision technology specialist, we have an entire suite of tools to help shipping lines and terminals reduce those costs and raise the standards of the industry. Being a member of the COA allows us to go straight to the cargo owners themselves and ensure that we’re developing solutions that will truly help the industry.”

In the summer of 2021, Visy released the world’s first automatic damage detection system (“ADDS”) for container terminal operations. Using a simple optical character recognition (OCR) camera setup and advanced artificial intelligence software, ADDS detects damaged cargo as containers move through a port or terminal environment. Such agile and real-time detection is a huge step for the industry in protecting cargo effectively. Visy ADDS with OCR features is a natural add-on for the existing suite of Visy technologies which include Visy Access Gate Operating System for quayside, rail/intermodal, and traditional truck gate applications.

“It’s great to see companies that have traditionally served the terminals start to do work with container owners,” says Patrick Hicks, COA. “Cargo is a big part of the reason we are all here and the more tools we have to ensure its safe and efficient flow, the lower everyone’s operating costs are, and the happier the consumer will also become when they realise the savings.”