Limited skills a challenge for project industry

There is no school for the
handling of project and
abnormal cargo – and that
means anyone taking on this
specialised sector will either
sink or swim.
“There are a number of new
players entering the market
who say they are specialising
in projects,” says Carl Webb,
managing director of PLM, a
project and abnormal cargo
logistics management company.
“The biggest problem for
the industry is getting people
willing to put in the necessary
effort to gain the experience.
The only way to learn is
to actually do it. Hands-on
experience is the only way
of gaining the knowledge
required to undertake projects
effectively.”
But with very few youngsters
coming through there is a
problem with continuity in
the industry, says Webb,
and this relates to both
the transport and
clearing industries.
Sunil Kalu,
business
development
manager for
APL, says
experience in the
project cargo field will result in
an organisation not only having
a Plan B, but also a Plan C and
a Plan D.
“Most of one’s time is spent
planning, and experience
means being able to foresee
any problems long before the
cargo starts its transportation
journey. There are so many
variables that have to be taken
into account – it is not an
easy industry in which to gain
experience because mistakes
don’t come cheap. There is
therefore very little room for
error.”
According to Alwyn Nel of
Kingfisher Freight Services,
the very specialised nature of
project cargo demands that it
is handled by companies that
have the staff, dedication and
knowledge available to take on
the task.
“Due to the high demand for
specialist knowledge, many
companies have started to shy
away from this as they have
limited manpower with project
experience.”