A study to benchmark operations at South African ro-ro terminals is currently under way at the Port of Durban as part of a larger strategy to improve efficiency in the automotive supply chain.According to Mervin Pillay, general manager at "K" Line Shipping South Africa, the private sector and Transnet Port Terminals are putting in a lot of effort to improve overall ef f icienc y.“There is a lot of brainstorming taking place at several stakeholder forums that have been established as we all work towards improved operations at the car terminals,” he said at a recent Transport Forum. “A time and motion study is currently under way aimed at the ro-ro segment in particular. The goal of this study is to benchmark one of the berths to establish the standard criteria of operations and then move towards improvements.”He said a lack of resources and skills continued to impact the automotive supply chain, especially at the ports. “It can be felt quite a bit, but at the same time, it is important to note that there is improved collaboration through the various forums and meetings. A lot of work is being done in the background to alleviate the problems and to deliver solutions that will improve the import and export of vehicles.”Speaking during the same event, Vis Loganathan, TPT head of planning, said one of the challenges in the automotive sector was the lack of visibility. “We have it on the container side, but not so much on the automotive. It is therefore important that we collaborate more with the lines to improve our ro-ro operations.”He said from a planning point of view, more visibility would result in improved coordination and efficiency overall.Loganathan said TPT had introduced a skills and development programme to address some of the critical requirements in operations at the car terminals.“The operating environment has changed drastically. Critical thinking and complex problem solving have to be infused in the way we respond as logistics planners.”Both Loganathan and Pillay emphasised the importance of collaboration between stakeholders, saying the smooth import or export of vehicles was not just the responsibility of the port.“Volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity remain the order of the day,” said Loganathan. “It is the currency that we all currently have to deal with, and it often means that the toolbox that we used two years ago, even a year ago, is today outdated. If we are to stand any chance of success, stakeholders across the supply chain must collaborate more.”He said it was important that car terminal planners understood exactly what was on a ro-ro vessel.“So the question is how we collaborate more with the lines, particularly on the automotive side, when it comes to vessel stowage planning. We don’t have to be stowage experts, but we can learn and improve our operations through closer collaboration with each other.”Pillay said it was important the shipping lines, clearing and forwarding agents, TPT and transporters were all part of the collaboration. Providing a detailed explanation of the process each of the entities followed when moving vehicles, he said the days of working in silos were long gone.A study will benchmark one of the berths to establish the standard criteria of operations and then move towards improvements.– Mervin Pillay
