Restructuring must make a difference to our customers – TPT

The huge transformation under way at Transnet Port Terminals is not about short-fix cosmetic solutions, but rather a permanent resolve to improve operational processes, a path Siya Mhlaluka has trodden before. “It’s not about personalities per se but we realised we had to be realistic that our customer requirements had changed so this restructuring process can only make a positive impact,” says TPT’s divisional executive manager for the containe r sector. Alluding to a recent meeting with Volkswagen SA, a major customer and regular user of Cape Town Container Terminal, Mhlaluka said the restructuring had to make a difference to its customers. He recalls collaborating with new Cape Town terminal executive, Moshe Motlohi, on the merger of the Port Elizabeth multipurpose and container terminals. “It was a painful process, so we have gone this route before.” Part of the strategy team working toward implementing the new dispensation, he says: “I was also part of deciding who goes where, based on individual capabilities, but supported the view we needed to change.”