EUROGATE and ICT Logistics have agreed a strategic cooperation to develop a next-generation Equipment Control System that will sit between container-handling hardware and terminal software, Port Technology International reported on 28 August 2026. The project will use ICT Logistics' SmartECS platform as its technical foundation and aims to create a vendor-neutral layer capable of controlling automated equipment from multiple suppliers while linking tightly to EUROGATE's own terminal management tools.
Under the arrangement, SmartECS will be adapted and implemented as a bespoke Equipment Control System for EUROGATE, with the partners working to ensure close integration with EUROGATE's Terminal Operating System and its scheduler, operateMyBox, commonly abbreviated to oMb. Port Technology International described the cooperation as strategic and centred on stitching together operational layers that are often developed separately in ports and terminals.
The stated objective is to orchestrate automated equipment in a fully vendor-independent environment, enabling devices from different manufacturers to be coordinated through a single control plane. That arrangement is intended to reduce the complexity of multi-vendor landscapes by providing a common command and control layer, according to the published report, while ensuring the terminal's scheduling and operational logic remain in EUROGATE's systems.
Integration with existing terminal systems
The project places explicit emphasis on interoperability: SmartECS will need to exchange data and commands with EUROGATE's Terminal Operating System and the oMb scheduler so that equipment movements align with higher-level planning and slot-allocation decisions. Port Technology International noted that the partners intend the ECS to function as a deterministic executor of scheduler instructions, translating planned moves into coordinated actions for cranes, automated guided vehicles and other automated plant.
Vendor independence and equipment orchestration
A central pillar of the cooperation is vendor independence, with SmartECS tasked to manage equipment regardless of manufacturer, thereby avoiding proprietary lock-in at the control layer. By orchestrating different vendors' machines through a single system, the partners aim to simplify operations and make future equipment additions or replacements less disruptive to terminal workflows.
The announcement framed the work as design and implementation of a next-generation control layer rather than a simple off-the-shelf deployment. That language suggests both parties expect to adapt SmartECS to EUROGATE's operational model and to validate its performance in an environment that combines EUROGATE's scheduling intelligence with real-time device control from multiple vendors.
Port Technology International's report is limited to describing the intent and architectural direction of the partnership and does not provide technical specifications, deployment timelines or commercial terms. The published item makes clear, however, that the cooperation focuses on achieving a tightly integrated, vendor-agnostic control solution that bridges EUROGATE's planning systems and the physical automation used on the terminal.
If realised as described, the effort would create a unified control interface for equipment from disparate suppliers while preserving EUROGATE's operational decision-making in its Terminal Operating System and scheduler. The partners will likely face the standard integration challenges of mapping vendor protocols, ensuring safety and resilience in a multi-supplier control environment and validating deterministic execution of scheduled moves, though the report itself does not elaborate on those technical issues.
The Port Technology International item appeared on 28 August 2026 and indicates that EUROGATE and ICT Logistics view their cooperation as a step toward tighter alignment of scheduling and equipment orchestration under a single, vendor-independent control layer. The article presents the collaboration as an engineering-led effort to link established terminal planning systems with a modern ECS architecture based on ICT Logistics' SmartECS solution.