聽聽聽 聽聽 聽聽 聽聽 The Container Types window allows you to create different container profiles that are used in your model. Examples of container types may include: laden (full), empty, refer (refrigerated), bio-hazard, large (45ft), small (20ft), CompanyX, etc. Creating container types allows you to handle different containers throughout your model. Each container type may have a different default size, from/to, and dwell time. Container types can be accessed through the [Container Terminal menu](Container_Terminal_Menu.html) on the main toolbar. Container types are used by each of the four planner objects. - Berth Planner - On the [Hatch Profiles tab](Hatch_Profiles.html), you set up a table of operations that are executed for that hatch. Each operation requires that you specify the container type. Thus you can specify how many of each type of container are discharged, how many are loaded, and in which order. For example, you may discharge 30 empty containers, discharge 50 laden containers, and then load 80 laden containers. - Gate Planner- On the [Arrivals tab](Arrivals.html), you set up a table of operations that specifies how many containers arrive at the gate each week. Each operation requires that you specify the container type. You can specify how many of each type of container are picked up and/or dropped off via the gate. For example, you may specify that 2000 CompanyX containers are dropped off and 100 refer containers are picked up. - Yard Planner- On the [Block Assignments tab](Block_Assignments.html), you set up a table of rules that determine which containers are stored in which blocks. Each rule requires that you specify the container type. You can facilitate smart segregation and storage in your yard. For example, you may specify that empty containers go to block 1 and laden containers go to block 2. On the [Resource Assignments tab](Resource_Assignments.html), you can set aside specific yard resources to work on specific container types. For example, you may specify that bio-hazard containers stored in block 1 are moved only by top loader 1.聽On the [Yard Moves tab](Yard_Operations.html), you may select what type of containers are to be relocated. For example, you may specify that container Type1 is to be moved from Block1 to Block2. - Rail Planner- On the [Car Profiles tab](Car_Profiles.html), you set up a list of cars that may each store different types of containers. Each car in the list requires that you specify the container type. For example, you may specify that Car1 can hold 250 CompanyX containers and 250 CompanyY containers. Container Types Tab  Container Type - This value is the name assigned to the container type. By default, there is a container type named "Type1." Add Container Type - Click the  button to add a new container type to the drop down container type list. Delete Selected Type - Click the button to remove the selected container type from the drop down container type list. Dwell Time (Days)- This value specifies the dwell time for the container type, which is how long the container is in the yard before being moved. The dwell time can be given as a static number (e.g., 2 or 0.4) or as a distribution (e.g., triangular(0.5, 5, 1.5)). In any case, the time described is always in days (use decimals values for hours). For containers scheduled to arrive into the yard via ship, gate, or rail, the dwell time is calculated from the moment the container is dropped into the yard until it is moved out of the yard (via ship, gate, rail, or an abstraction). Therefore, any Relocate or Consolidate operation as specified in [Yard Moves](Yard_Operations.html) is included in the dwell time. For containers scheduled to leave the yard, the dwell time is calculated backwards from the time the container will be picked up so that the container will be in the yard for the appropriate amount of time before leaving. When abstracting parts of the container terminal, the scheduled dwell times will cause containers to suddenly appear or disappear, as if entering or leaving the model via one of the abstracted layers. Container Attribute Generation List- This lists all the general attributes for the selected container type. These general attributes can consist of both pre-defined and custom attributes. Each general attribute has specific sub-attributes, which are listed in a table to the right of this list, that further define the container type. For example, the Size attribute has the sub-attributes: 20ft, 40ft, 45ft, 48ft, 53ft, and OOG. The equipment type attribute has the sub-attributes: General, Open Top, Reefer, Tank, Bulk, Port Hole, and Flat Rack.聽 By default, each general attribute has a weight column in the sub-attributes table. You can distribute the weight values as necessary by changing the values in the weight column for each specific sub-attribute. For example, the Size attribute can have weight values as follows: 50 for 20ft and 50 for 40ft. This means that the size of the containers for the selected container type are distributed evenly among 20ft and 40ft container sizes. The weight values can be any numbers and do not have to add up to 100. FlexTerm will scale them automatically. A聽general attribute may have dependencies on other general attributes. The order of the Container Attribute Generation list specifies which general attributes can have dependencies. The dependencies are specified by right clicking on the table. For a selected general attribute, any general attribute listed above it can be used as a dependency. Use the up and down arrow buttons to reorder the list. The default weight column in the sub-attributes table will be replaced by a column (or columns) that represent the added dependencies. This can lead to complex container types, which will be described in the [Complex Types](ComplexTypes)section below. Figure below shows a screen capture of an example attribute dependencies. Here if the equipment type is General, the generated containers for Type1 will be 20% of 20ft and 20% of 40ft container. If the equipment type is Reefer, the generated containers will be all 40ft containers.  There are three default general attributes for each container type: - Size- This specifies the size of the containers of the selected container type. By default, the size is based on the weight values assigned to each specific sub-attribute. For example, the sizes of the container Type1 (shown above) are all 40ft. - Equipment Type- This specifies the equipment type of the containers of the selected container聽type. By default, the equipment type is based on the weight values assigned to each specific sub-attribute. - Slave Interface- This specifies the default interface that will handle this container type. How the container is handled depends on if you are pushing or pulling containers through the model. By default, the slave interface is based on the weight values assigned to each specific sub-attribute. Container Attributes Tab  Container Attributes List - This tab allows you to add more general attributes to your Container Attribute Generation list. Click on the green plus button to add a new general attribute to the Container Attribute Generation list. Click on the red X button to remove the selected general attribute from the Container Attribute Generation list. You can select from a predefined list of popular general attributes or you can create and define your own custom general attribute.聽  If you select a predefined general attribute, you can customize it by changing the sub-attributes in the table to the right of the selected general attribute, as shown in the picture above. Click on the green plus button below the general attribute name to add a new sub-attribute. Click on the red X button to remove the selected sub-attribute. <a class="calibre7" name="ComplexTypes">Complex Types</a> As mentioned earlier, a general attribute may have dependencies on other general attributes. This gives you a lot of flexibility on the types of containers in your model. You will be able to select specific containers throughout FlexTerm based on their specific attributes as well as their type.聽 For example, you may want to create a container type with the following size characteristics: 75% are 40ft containers and 25% are 20ft containers. In addition, 33% of the 40ft containers are tanks. This would make the final composition of generated containers as follows: 50% are 40ft General equipment type containers, 25% are 40ft Tank equipment type containers, and 25% are 20ft General equipment type containers. The following will show you how to create a complex container type by adding a dependency to a general attribute.  First, add a new general container attribute to the Container Attribute Generation list. For this example, select Health Hazard.  Next, distribute the general Equipment Type attribute weight values as follows: 80% are General equipment type containers and 20% are Tank equipment type containers.  Next, add a dependency to the Health Hazard attribute. Right click anywhere in the sub-attributes table to bring up the dependency menu. You can either add a dependency or remove a dependency, as shown in the picture above. Make sure that the new container attribute (Health Hazard) appears below the聽 general attribute, in the Container Attribute Generation list, you want to add as a dependency. You cannot add dependencies for container attributes that are listed after the container attribute you are adding the dependency to. As you can see in the figure above, Size, Equipment Type, and Slave Interface can all be added as a dependency to the Health Hazard general attribute. For this example, add Equipment Type as a dependency for Health Hazard, as shown in the picture above.  Now that the Equipment Type attribute is a dependency for the Health Hazard attribute, the Health Hazard聽sub-attributes table contains two columns that reflect this dependency: General and Tank equipment types. Remember, you set the General and Tank weight values to be 80% and 20%, respectively. So only those sub-attributes appear in the Health Hazard's sub-attributes table. You can further refine this container type by changing the values in these columns to reflect the weight distribution of each specific sub-attribute. For this example, leave the General column weight value at 100% for None and set the Tank column weight values to be 50% for None and 50% for Minor Reversible Injury. The final composition for generated containers of Type1 are as follows: 80% are general equipment type containers with no health hazard, 10% are tank equipment type containers with no health hazard, and 10% are tank equipment type containers with a minor reversible injury health hazard.  You can now restrict container profiles throughout FlexTerm based on the characteristics of this new container type. As seen in the picture above, all containers that pose a minor reversible injury health hazard will be moved to block "Block1."