Kalmar and Nokia will expand their ongoing collaboration to provide new solutions for ports and intermodal terminal operators seeking to automate operations and achieve greater productivity.

The two companies will combine their communications and cargo handling technology expertise in new joint go-to-market ventures, integrated solutions development and research collaboration.

“This venture builds on our existing business relationship with Kalmar. Nokia is now bringing a range of digitalisation offerings to the alliance, with particular emphasis on private wireless, to add to Kalmar’s cargo handling technology know-how,” commented Jochen Apel, vice president transportation, logistics and manufacturing at Nokia Cloud and Network Services.

In the first Nokia and Kalmar will incorporate Nokia 4G and 5G private wireless into developments for use

In the first of the new collaboration programmes, Nokia and Kalmar will incorporate Nokia 4G and 5G private wireless into developments for use with straddle carriers, automated stacking carriers and rubber-tyred gantry cranes.

This will enable ports and terminal operators to increase container handling efficiency and enhance on-site safety levels, according to the joint statement.

Other technical collaboration will focus on 5G research projects in Finland as well as on ultra-reliable positioning for a safe acceleration of automated cargo handling equipment.

Antti Kaunonen, president at Kalmar Automation Solutions, said, “By integrating our pioneering Kalmar solutions with the latest Nokia digitalisation innovation, we can deliver a new generation of offerings that transform port terminal operations.”

Additionally, Nokia will provide the Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) solution

Additionally, Nokia will provide the Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) solution, an industrial-grade digitalisation platform that provides a reliable, secure, and high-performance private wireless network with industrial connectors and edge computing capabilities on a cloud-based monitoring system

In 2019, Kalmar and Ukkoverkot, which is now called Edzcom, a leading private Long Term Evolution network provider, have announced an agreement with Nokia to build a wireless digitalisation infrastructure for port and terminal research and development.