Yard managers and those in the wider transport and logistics sector in South Africa have recently been hit by a triple whammy of challenges: an anticipated fuel price hike; bridges, roads, and container depots swept away by devastating floods; and truck driver blockades.
Little wonder then, that yard managers in the road freight sector “need a good way to sense, analyse and act on the current dynamics of the yard in line with broader shipping channels”, says Neil Gouveia, Zebra Technologies director for Africa.
“These days, that comes in the form of a dynamic, intelligent yard management system (YMS), which feels more needed than ever, as unfortunate and unexpected events like the above arise.”
By being tech savvy, yard managers can implement ‘blind spot detection’ strategies to stay on the cusp of developments as they play out in real time, especially when things go topsy turvy.
Says Gouveia: “With so many vehicles, goods and people coming and going, it’s easy for the human eye to see the minor incidents that could bring all traffic to a halt. When one process fails, it can have a domino effect, impacting multiple aspects of the operation and your ability to deliver shipments on time.
“That’s why you can’t rely solely on workers to manage your yard. Plus, there is always something they could miss or miscalculate if they don’t have all the facts or the ability to see the big picture.
“Considering the sometimes significant distances between cities and goods collection, storage, and drop-off locations here in Africa, and the varying levels of business maturity across transport and logistics companies, it can be impossible for the most astute logistics managers to make the right calls about how to route goods and people without assistance from automation technologies.
“Oversights also become a safety risk.”
Human error, Gouveia believes, can largely be avoided through implementing clever technology.
Companies eager to avoid workers missing something, should “choose a YMS that can plug into the warehouse management system (WMS) and transport management system, using an industry standard application programming interface”.
“This will help eliminate data silos and give your team an aggregate picture of operations and opportunities for plan improvement. A well-integrated YMS can also work with the WMS to ensure a trailer is docked securely and ready to be loaded, while Bluetooth low-energy sensors alert people to stay out of harm’s way.”
