Dar import facility will speed up turnaround

Construction of the new
US$13-million import cargo
facility at the Julius Nyerere
International Airport in Dar
es Salaam is expected to be
completed by the end of this
month.
Swissport Tanzania chief
executive
officer,
Gaudence
Temu, says
that the facility
– which has
a handling
capacity of
up to 80 000
tonnes – will
be the first
of its kind in
Africa that
uses radio
frequency identification
(RFID) for cargo
identification.
The use of RFID technology
cuts down on the tracking and
processing time by 20 minutes
– with a 10 minute average
turnaround time compared
to the previous 30 minutes,
he adds.
The new facility will
feature special cargo areas
for animals, dangerous
goods, pharmaceuticals and
perishables, offering two cold
storage facilities of between
-20 and 8
degrees celsius.
According
to Temu, the
smaller cargo
parcels of 50
kilograms or
less will be
placed onto
special racks
that allow for
automatic
sorting. “The
entire concept
of the new facility is based on
simplifying cargo handling.”
The multipurpose facility
will offer banking and
business facilities as well
as clearing and forwarding
agent offices and cargo
airline offices.
INSERT & CAPTION
This is the first
facility in Africa that
uses state-of-art
gadgets.
– Gaudence Temu