Automatic container seal dispenser developed in Korea

HMM PSA New-port Terminal (HPNT) has developed Korea’s first automatic container seal dispenser.

The ‘seal’ is a tool that acts as a lock on the door of a shipping container.

The trailer drivers must receive the seal after picking up the empty container before going to the shipper’s factory.

Before developing the automatic dispenser, drivers had to go through complicated, time-consuming procedures, including parking, then visit the gate control room to receive seals before finally having to fill out the receipt book.

After the automatic seal dispenser has been installed, drivers can now receive the seal immediately at the exit gate without going through the complicated processes after picking up an empty container – reducing the time spent on the process by more than 10 minutes.


The process to use the HPNT-developed automatic seal dispenser is as follows:

1)Pull up to an automatic seal dispenser.

2)Scan the Equipment Interchange Receipt (EIR) barcode or enter the vehicle number.

3)A trailer driver receives the seal.

The height of the automatic dispenser is designed so that the drivers can pick up the seals while remaining in their vehicles, much like at a toll booth.

It is a user-friendly machine that automatically selects and issues a seal via a computer linked to the terminal.

Reducing work hours by more than 10 minutes will give the drivers more time to transport the goods, allowing them to work more efficiently and earn more.

In addition to reducing the work hours, the improved process can also reduce the risks of various accidents that may occur upon unloading their containers.

The release record is left on the computer, managing and keeping track of the various seals has become much more efficient. This may eliminate the need for creating and maintaining receipt books.

From 1 January 2021, HPNT has installed the automatic dispenser at all three exit gates to provide seals for HMM and CMA CGM.

Some 61,000 seals have been released over the past four months. The error rate has been less than 0.01%.

https://www.porttechnology.org/news/automatic-container-seal-dispenser-developed-in-korea/