New reach stacker speeds up turnaround

Less than six months since the launch of their container depot, Gys and Seun Jacobs, owners of City Deep-based Jacobs Container Depot, have had to make significant investments in equipment to meet demand. “We have had an extremely good response from the market, especially from transporters who realise the value of this depot,” Gys Jacobs told FTW. “Because our operational hours are longer and we are in City Deep, but not near the congested areas, trucks are able to turn around quicker.” Launched on August 1 this year, the 35 000 sqm of yard space with a stacking capacity of 6000 TEUs has filled up very well, he said. Having just taken delivery of a new 45-ton reach stacker, the company can now improve efficiency even more, said operations manager Vinnie Sewpersad. “It is all about decreasing the downtime of trucks. A truck standing in a line for four hours is costing a transporter money. Our operations are geared to ensure that trucks don’t have to stand and wait.” Sewpersad said the Jacobs Container Depot was able to store containers, reposition and handle repairs of containers quite easily. And the company is already investigating the possibility of increasing its operational hours to 24 hours a day. “It does make a major difference to transporters,” said Jacobs. “The focus has been to improve service delivery and we are willing to invest in our operations.” According to Jacobs, the equipment facilitates speedy loading and offloading, ensuring trucks turn around faster. “There is no doubt that this depot is playing a major role in relieving some of the container backlogs that are experienced across the province.” According to Sewpersad, the company has also invested heavily in ensuring they have back-up machines in place should a problem arise with any equipment. “Essentially it means the depot never has any down time.”