Technology is helping logistics companies and shippers in Namibia to overcome local skills shortages, according to Renko Bergh, co-owner of Forte Supply Chain Consulting.
“The skills gap is one of the biggest challenges preventing operators from taking advantage of the Namibian logistics hub vision,” he told FTW.
He says opportunities are being created by the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) and the government’s vision to establish Namibia as a logistics hub.
However, “the shortage of skilled industry operators within the logistics and manufacturing areas specifically, creates a knowledge gap and missed opportunity.”
With technology being able to bridge a large part of the skills gap, Bergh encourages companies to take a fresh look at the technological opportunities Namibia offers.
“The WBCG understands that attracting more freight and activity to the region requires shippers to be on-board. “Shippers should make use of such an open invitation and highlight areas of high costs/ constraints and the opportunities of shared information throughout the supply chain. “Forte Supply Chain Consulting acts as a bridge consultancy between industry software expectations and the actual developers of supply chain software,” he says.
“Our focus areas, with our software partners, are currently within the transport, warehouse, inventory and more recently business intelligence platform segments.”
Forte Data Solutions, part of the Forte Group, has developed a cloud-based integration platform-as-a-service called FLOW, which is predominantly focused within the transport and warehouse sectors – and which can serve companies operating on all the Walvis Bay corridors.
“The warehouse operator, for example, is now able to provide real-time updates and KPIs to each of its clients via a custom web-based portal on the FLOW platform.”
During the past year FLOW has also been installed at one of Forte’s fast-moving consumer goods clients. The project outcome has seen the collaboration and integration of customer updates (data previously sent manually) from each of the transport providers used by the FMCG client on one central platform.
“Each transport entity continues working on its existing transport management software or manual excel sheet, and the relevant data is synced to the platform for one central view for the client’s use and decision-making.”
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Our cloud-based integration platform-as-a-service called FLOW can serve companies operating on all the Walvis Bay corridors. – Renko Bergh
