Dock loaders reduce truck down time

Hauliers and shippers in Walvis Bay are having to adapt the way they do business because of the fast turn-around at the new Interlogix warehouse which is fitted with the first dock loaders in the city, says Jason Fourie, Namibia director. Hauliers delivering to or picking up containerised freight from the new facility were ready to leave in just over the time it took to place a container on the ground, he told FTW. “We can load or off load a palletised container in around 15 minutes, which reduces costs for the haulier and improves utilisation of their vehicles and trailers,” he says. Fourie says it has “taken a while” for hauliers and forwarders to adapt to using the loading docks and to take advantage of the efficiencies offered. The current practice at other warehouses in Walvis Bay is for containers to be placed on the ground using a self-loading trailer and then for the driver to go and handle another load while the container is being loaded or unloaded. “This means a double trip for the truck, as well as the cost of the specialised trailer. With the dock loaders all that is needed is a standard trailer,” he says. Shippers do not run the risk of paying demurrage or detention fees because the containers are taken straight from Interlogix to one of the nearby container yards in under half an hour from the time the truck docks. Interlogix also designed the warehouse to handle crossdocking. “We have unpacked eight containers and loaded the contents on to four superlinks in the same day,” he says. The facility is designed to allow superlinks to be loaded on both sides at the same time, either from the warehouse or direct cross-docking from the container using 3.5-ton forklifts capable of lifting four 800-kg bags at a time. There are five loading bays for containers which back directly onto the new 3 000 sqm warehouse. At present the warehouse is handling chemicals bound for the mines in Zambia, but there is increasing interest from other sectors due to the efficiencies of the operation, which is designed to facilitate high levels of service, he says. “Namibia is growing fast, and the market is changing. As operators we have to keep raising our levels of service,” he says. The layout of the warehouse allows for it to be adapted for different cargoes. One of the options being investigated is to divide it into two in order to accommodate dry fastmoving consumer goods. Copper can also be handled as the building was designed as a high-security facility. With the warehouse now fully operational, Interlogix Namibia is able to introduce the wide range of logistics services offered by Interlogix in South Africa. These include the management of project cargo since the warehouse f loor and doors are designed to accommodate high and heavy equipment. INSERT & CAPTION We can load or offload a palletised container in around 15 minutes, which reduces costs for the haulier and improves utilisation of their vehicles and trailers. – Jason Fourie