Indra will modernise and expand the global technological platform of Chile´s port of Valparaiso for €7.5 million

Empresa Portuaria Valparaíso (EPV), Chile's largest port, has once again entrusted Indra, the leading Spanish multinational consulting and technology firm and one of the main players in Europe and Latin America, to modernise and expand its global technological platform after awarding it a new contract worth €7.5 million.

Indra already completed the technological modernisation for the Port of Valparaiso's expansion as well as the development of a comprehensive solution in 2007, so this new project consolidates the company as a strategic technological partner of EPV. It also strengthens the multinational's position in the area of port and maritime systems, with projects completed in countries that include Hong Kong, Poland, Portugal, Morocco, Angola, Cape Verde, and Spain, among others, as well as a number of contracts in progress for Panama Canal expansion project or the Port of Southampton in the United Kingdom.

The new project awarded by EPV includes developing new features, expanding the scope as well as providing maintenance during another five years, extendible to eight, for the logistics communication and information, foreign trade and control system for the Port of Valparaiso's community. Among other improvements, the solution will integrate new agents in the communication and information transfer processes to complete the entire chain that comprises the port community, from the import and export cargo source to the maritime transport, and vice versa. It will also feature an innovative marketplace for hiring logistics services and state-of-the-art ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) for tracking operations.

The new project will enable the Port of Valparaiso to continue improving the logistics processes and the coordination of all the agents involved. This will boost its competitiveness, capacity and control, as well as improve the environmental quality of the port and the city of Valparaiso.

Highly complex cutting-edge technology

The highly complex technological platform designed by Indra that will now be optimised and expanded includes the traffic control and safety systems between the Logistics Support Extension Area (ZEAL in Spanish) and the port's terminals, as well as the internal traffic and access management systems that make it possible to identify each vehicle, driver and load, and link them to the associated import/export process.

It also contains the multi-service communications network of the global management system and the interfaces with the agents involved (EPV, terminals, customs agents, inspection bodies, etc.), the multi-channel information systems (mobile, loudspeaker, panels, etc.) that are necessary for coordinating the activities of the various agents, as well as other technical resources that are required for operations, such as safety systems, a radio and phone network, and access to external telecommunications services.

As a result of the other 2010 contract, Indra has also developed and launched the EPV's administrative systems and it is responsible for the technological service until 2016.

Project for the National Customs Service

The National Audit Office has also awarded Indra a €2.7 million contract to implement an x-ray scanner in the ZEAL of the Port of Valparaiso for non-intrusive cargo and container inspections. The objective is to support the control tasks of the National Customs Service, making it possible to scan any cargo that could be potentially dangerous from a customs perspective.

The Port of Valparaiso is the largest container and passenger port in Chile and it has one of the highest activity levels in South America along the Pacific coast. It transfers more than ten million tons of general cargo each year, and its terminals handle about 30% of the nation's foreign trade. In addition, each season, it receives nearly 40 cruise ships and 100,000 visitors.

Indra is the number one multinational consultancy and technology company in Spain and a leader in Europe and Latin America. Innovation is the cornerstone of its business and sustainability. The company has allocated more than €550 million to R&D&i in the last three years, making it one of the top companies in Europe in its sector in terms of investment. With sales approaching €3,000 million, nearly 60% of its income is from the international market. The company employs 42,000 professionals and has customers in 128 countries.