Joint effort looks at how to generate more cargo, writes Ray Smuts SELMA Schwartz, National Ports Authority marketing manager in Cape Town, is not given to verbosity but believes rather that actions speak louder than words - and there appears to be no shortage of actions currently underway. As to how customer demands are being addressed, Schwartz says NPA is in the process of setting up a client workshop, the date to be advised, to which all key clients will be invited. Also in the process of being rolled out is a customer relationship management programme which entails visiting all clients and examining their requirements from a port authority perspective. When Western Cape premier Gerald Morkel left for a visit to Hong Kong recently he was armed with information about the Port of Cape Town and Schwartz says NPA is working closely with his administration and other important role players like the Department of Trade and Industry to ascertain how to generate more cargo. Asked whether the Port of Cape Town can improve further, Schwartz says there has been some progress but believes there is always room for further improvement.
