A study of the changes in performance of quayside container cranes

The learning effect, whereby performance improves with experience, is well documented for manufacturing situations. This article applies these learning concepts to quayside container cranes, in order to determine the relationship between number of containers moved and unloading time. The results show that crane performance has improved with time, and that the learning effect is essentially the same for four ports. Container vessel operators are looking for consistency in port operations. An analysis of variability for one port shows that this consistency is not always achieved and that crane performance does not appear to be related to vessel size.