Traditional business
cycles are changing
CONFREIGHT CONTAINERS Transvaal (CCT) is upgrading its computer network to provide a superior service for groupage operators. The revamp is expected to be completed by the end of first quarter of 2001.
Once it is all in place, groupage operators will be able to dial into it and see what freight in the container still needs to be uplifted, says IT manager Ivan Jenkins.
It will allow clients complete access into the system, cutting out the need for telephone calls and faxes. It will also allow us to reprint invoices and answer any queries on storage fees without delays.
All information on the unpacking of the container will be instantly available which will reduce the telephone enquiries we receive daily. These can be anything between six and 10 from a single operatior, going up to as many as 140 on a busy day.
At the same time CCT director Stuart Scott reports satisfaction with the customs EDI operations, which are now up and running. It's a good system, he says, which should reduce fraud.
A significant trend at the CCT depot is the move away from traditional peak container times, such as in the summer season.
The levels of groupage containers have not been great recently, mainly because the normal upswing at certain times has not been there, says Scott.
In fact, there have been huge troughs and peaks. The movement of containers through the depot has been very sporadic, but this may well be in keeping with the belief that trade in general is likely to improve markedly in the year ahead, and that movement times of goods are changing.
The CCT depot in Heriotdale undergoes regular ISO 9002 audits and Scott is satisfied that reportbacks show few problems.
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