The verdict in three sentences
A container yard handling 180,000 TEU a year that still relies on tally sheets lets unbilled storage days slip away and keeps trucks queuing at the gate. A full international TOS costs 1 to 4 million USD and targets large concession terminals; focused software for yard positions, moves, truck appointments and billing covers the essentials for a fraction of that. At Kolonell this is a complex application, from 7,000,000 to 15,000,000+ FCFA, with payback measured in months.
Why tally sheets are expensive
Lomé is one of the few deep-water ports on the West African coast and a transhipment hub for Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali. Main terminals run heavy systems, but bonded yards, empty depots and secondary terminals often work with checkers, paper registers and a spreadsheet updated at night. Operators in Singapore, by contrast, treat yard data as real time by default, and that is the standard shipping lines now expect everywhere.
The usual result: a misplaced box ties up a reach stacker for 20 to 40 minutes, storage days are calculated by hand and disputed, and trucks wait 3 to 6 hours at the gate for lack of slots. Every missed storage day on a 40-foot box is lost revenue.
| Metric | Paper tallies | Yard software | 2026 order of magnitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Locating a container | 10 to 40 min | Under 1 min | Block, row, tier position |
| Truck wait at the gate | 3 to 6 h | 1 to 2 h | Online slot booking |
| Unbilled storage | 3 to 6 % of days due | Under 0.5 % | Clock starts at gate-in |
| Invoice lead time | 2 to 5 days | Immediate at gate-out | Invoice tied to release |
| Customer disputes | 8 to 12 % of invoices | 2 to 3 % | Time-stamped move history |
| Reconciliation with lines | Manual, monthly | Daily EDI messages | CODECO, COARRI |
Full TOS or focused bespoke software
Large TOS suites plan vessels, optimise cranes and handle thousands of moves an hour. In Singapore, a mid-sized operator licensing a SaaS TOS typically pays 4,000 to 16,000 SGD a month, as a 2026 order of magnitude, plus integration. For a bonded yard or a mid-size terminal, much of that functionality goes unused while licence and support are still billed in full.
| Option | Indicative cost | Time to go live | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full international TOS | 1 to 4 M USD, 2026 order of magnitude | 12 to 24 months | Concession terminals above 500,000 TEU |
| Mid-market SaaS TOS | 4,000 to 16,000 SGD a month, order of magnitude | 4 to 8 months | Standardised regional terminals |
| Kolonell bespoke, medium application | 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR) | 3 to 5 months | Empty depot, simple bonded yard |
| Kolonell bespoke, complex application | 7,000,000 to 15,000,000+ FCFA (10,670 to 22,870+ EUR) | 5 to 8 months | 100,000 to 250,000 TEU yard with EDI |
| Application maintenance | 35,000 / 75,000 / 120,000 FCFA a month | Ongoing | By service level |
Interfaces with the single window, the ASYCUDA customs system, handheld terminals and hosting are priced in the quote after reviewing the available formats.
The modules you cannot skip
The core is a digital yard map: each box has a position, a status (full, empty, under customs hold, released) and a move history captured by checkers on rugged handhelds, even on patchy 4G. Next comes truck appointments: the forwarder books a slot, receives a code by SMS or WhatsApp, and the gate checks customs release before entry.
The billing module applies tariffs per customer and box type: handling, daily storage after free time, reefer plugs, weighing, seals. Finally, EDI exchanges move messages with shipping lines, ending painful monthly reconciliations. Forwarders can pay by bank transfer, and by mobile money for small amounts.
Mini case study
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Kossi, operations director of a bonded yard in Lomé, handles 180,000 TEU a year, about 110,000 boxes. A box stays 9 days on average, 4 of them billable after free time. He estimates 4 % of billable days are never invoiced: 110,000 x 4 days x 4 % = 17,600 lost days. At an average 6,000 FCFA per day, that is 105,600,000 FCFA a year.
With a complex application around 13,000,000 FCFA and Premium maintenance at 120,000 FCFA a month, 1,440,000 FCFA a year, recovering just a third of those days brings in over 35,000,000 FCFA in year one. Shorter truck queues and better equipment productivity come on top.
FAQ
Do we need to replace the main terminal's TOS?
No. The bespoke software covers the yard, gate and billing, and can exchange data with the existing TOS over EDI. It mainly suits bonded yards and depots handling 50,000 to 250,000 TEU a year.
Does it work on an unstable network?
Yes, handhelds record moves offline and sync once 4G returns. On a 10 to 20 hectare yard, a few industrial Wi-Fi points usually cover the dead zones.
Can truck appointments run through WhatsApp?
Yes, the forwarder books online and receives confirmation by SMS or WhatsApp. Yards that adopt appointments often cut average waiting time by 50 % or more.
How is storage calculated?
The software applies each customer's free time and tiers, for example a higher rate after day 10. The invoice is generated at gate-out with a time-stamped history that keeps disputes to 2 to 3 % of invoices.
How long until go-live?
Allow 5 to 8 months for a complex application, including a one-month pilot on one yard zone. Checkers are trained on handhelds in 2 to 3 days.
Let's scope your project. Send us your volumes, storage tariffs and shipping line exchanges, and we will define the scope and a phased go-live plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
