Ray Smuts
SOUTH AFRICAN Container Depots' new cost-saving, e-commerce inducement incentive is all about electronic business to business interaction aimed at getting rid of paper and streamlining transactions, says marketing director Geoff Popple
His comments coincide with an SACD advertising campaign launched in FTW which highlights the vital role of IT in adding customer value.
This is consistent with international trends, says Popple, and we have a large part to play in this regard.
The new SACD incentive, as he sees it, is a customer 'inducement' rather than a customer 'incentive'. We are offering our customers, mainly shippers, an e-commerce inducement which will allow for greater all-round efficiency as well as cost-saving through the successful implementation of EDI via Edifact.
The benefit to the customer, in rand terms, has yet to be determined but the incentive will apply to fulls, empties, unpacks and packs. At the end of the day it's all about trying to give greater value to our customers.
In order to qualify for the financial inducement per TEU (twenty foot equivalent unit) or per ton received, customers are required to submit pre-advice, tracking (EDI) and releases/allocations.
If the customer allows us to interact through CEDEX and we can do electronic invoices and be paid by the 25th of the month we could consider a further incentive.
Asked if this system was unique, Popple replied: If we can do this successfully we will be the first in the market.
The past few years have seen SACD fervently push for greater IT integration in all its depot activities. While many electronic services are available, the company's ultimate objective is to provide customers with total electronic business-to-business transactions.
Under investigation is the possibility of hand-held electronic scanners to record container details, reduce error margins and speed up the receiving process.
SACD is also about to implement its own informative website, the emphasis being on ease of access for customers and interactive links affording instant information.
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