A Simulation for Optimum Terminal Truck Number in a Turkish Port Based on Lean and Green Concept

Ports, from the simple physical sea/land interface they once used to be, have successively turned into commerce and industrial centers, then into logistics and distribution platforms, and are now becoming intermodal nodes in international supply chains networks, the efficiency of which now drives trade competitiveness. With her distinguished location, logistics infrastructure and well qualified manpower, Turkey has the potential of being a hub country in her region. However, in order to achieve this potential, Turkish ports have to consider both lean and green approaches in their business strategies. Lean system design is the most important initial step for cargo handling operation in order to reach green operation. At this point, the study has aimed to analyze a Turkish container terminal both in terms of lean and green dimensions. Due to the constraints of data, however, the study has only focused on the cargo handling operations. A simulation model has been used to determine the optimum number of container handling equipment to increase the lean capabilities of a Turkish port. Besides, the environmental damage caused by handling equipment in cargo handling operations has been discussed through the study, and the optimal number of equipment minimizing the environment damage has been reached.