From Reactive Yard Operations to an Assistable Yard – How TMC Yard Ushers in a New Generation of Processes

True digitalization only emerges when processes are consistently structured, steerable and assistable. This is where significant untapped potential still exists in the yard: decisions are made situationally, operational knowledge lives in the heads of individual employees, and the integration of all stakeholders – from drivers to gate staff to warehouse teams – is often incomplete. The result is fluctuating process quality, delays, long dwell times and a high dependency on personnel.

SDBN Solutions, with more than 25 years of experience in logistics IT and over a decade of specialization in yard management, addresses exactly this gap. With TMC Yard, a modular yard‑management solution with an integrated Yard Assistant, the company has developed a system that makes yard processes assistable for the first time – initiating a true paradigm shift.

Why Traditional Yard Solutions Reach Their Limits

Conventional systems document processes and support planning, but operational responsibility remains with the human workforce. Forecasts often rely on averages, decisions depend on experience, priorities shift by the minute, and the real‑time yard situation is barely reflected in the system. The outcome: inconsistent quality, delays and high personnel dependency.

TMC Yard breaks with this principle. The integrated Yard Assistant takes responsibility: guiding users through all workflows, making rule‑based decisions within the system and ensuring that processes run safely, consistently and efficiently – regardless of who is on shift.

From Head to System: Operational Knowledge Becomes Digital Logic

At the core of the Yard Assistant lies the structured transformation of experiential knowledge into transparent, reproducible decision logic. TMC Yard maps all yard processes – including real‑world variants – in a structured, process‑oriented way and ensures they are executed correctly at all times.

Employees no longer need to decide how to perform a task – they are guided step by step. Processes remain fully adaptable whenever requirements change.

Step‑by‑Step Adoption – Immediately Usable, Safely Scalable

Companies can introduce the Yard Assistant gradually and at their own pace:

1. Action recommendations
2. (Time‑shifted) automated decisions
3. Fully autonomous workflows

Each organization decides how much autonomy it wants to enable. Trust grows naturally – and the transition carries no operational risk.

Human and System – Seamlessly Integrated

TMC Yard is not a rigid automation tool but a solution that understands exactly when human involvement is needed. The Yard Assistant integrates all relevant stakeholders:

• Role‑based interfaces for employees working directly in the system
• Automated notifications for colleagues without permanent system access
• Clear instructions for external partners such as drivers or service providers

If a required response is missing, the Yard Assistant escalates automatically to the right person – preventing process interruptions before they occur.

Dynamic Orchestration – A System That Improves With Every Decision

The Yard Assistant already makes many yard‑specific decisions autonomously. It prioritizes loading and shunting tasks, assigns gates intelligently and dynamically steers yard operations based on real‑time capacity. Forecasts are continuously updated – not by static rules, but by real events and accumulated experience.

With every decision, the system becomes smarter. New data sources, AI modules and operational insights continuously expand its decision‑making capabilities. The yard becomes not only more digital – but more intelligent.

Measurable Efficiency Gains

Companies benefit from:

• Significantly reduced gate changes and dwell times
• Higher throughput without additional infrastructure
• Stable operations despite staff fluctuations
• Faster onboarding and lower qualification requirements
• Consistent process quality without performance variability

A digital assistant does not experience performance swings – and ensures reliable processes around the clock.

A Milestone in Yard Management

With TMC Yard, a yard emerges that takes responsibility, relieves employees and enables a new level of process quality. The platform is immediately productive, modularly expandable and forms the foundation for future assistance systems and AI‑supported automation.

For companies aiming to future‑proof their yard logistics, assistable yard management is the next logical step – and TMC Yard is the simplest path to get there.