Self-help portal will speed information flow

Speed and data integration throughout the warehousing operation has become a critical pain point for customers. ZacPak will soon introduce two new warehousing system features to address these needs. A new self-help portal will be launched to facilitate an almost “drive-through” experience, said group MD, Willie Nel. “Customers will be able to submit groupage cargo releases to the selfhelp portal, which will simultaneously be crossreferenced with South African Revenue Service (Sars) actual release messages,” he said adding that these types of customer integration systems allowed for speedy, efficient and accurate information flow. Furthermore, following the successful launch of ZacPak’s first-inclass de-grouping system last year, the group is “very close” to extending the processing of FCL (full container load) warehousing capabilities on the system. “This will offer an even wider scope of options and possibilities,” commented Nel. He said that customer requirements had driven a number of changes during the last few years as warehousing operations were no longer seen as a “mere place of utility”. But, he added, businesses needed to start looking at this aspect of their supply chain operations as value-adding. “A well-managed warehousing operation provides the opportunity to deliver service excellence and ultimately adds to a customer’s overall service experience,” said Nel. He believes that if this distinction is not fully understood and the needs not met then supply chain operators are in all likelihood merely reacting to customer demands rather than properly meeting needs. “Developing a master plan for all operations is an essential tool for properly managing warehousing operations. This entails setting clear objectives, allocating functions for each activity – in keeping with a client’s demands – and keeping records,” said Nel. In designing its warehousing systems, ZacPak focused on live real-time events that could be recorded and activities that could be measured, along with constant flow of information that could be shared. “Our ZDos technology does not just provide an electronic platform for receiving and dispatching. It is a flow tool and is transaction-based,” he said, pointing out that the ability to record and manage freight receipt and logging the condition of the cargo prior to shipping was vital. “Being able to have this information on hand at the destination helps maintain the integrity of the cargo,” said Nel. INSERT & CAPTION The new self-help portal will be launched to facilitate an almost ‘drivethrough’ experience. – Willie Nel