TFR to move onto Navis in July

The Navis system, despite its ongoing teething problems, will be rolled out at Transnet Freight Rail in July this year, Karl Socikwa, chief executive of Transnet Port Terminals, said at a business breakfast in Johannesburg recently. While he acknowledged that the implementation of Navis at the Durban port in March last year resulted in some major problems that saw a significant drop in productivity, he said the system had stabilised and was improving. “We have rolled it out to all our ports and in 2012 it will also be implemented at TFR.” He said Transnet was in constant discussions with the supplier to ensure that problems were dealt with, while the network supplier, Neotel, was also on board to sort out network issues. “’We did not have good enough change management in place when we went from the old system to the new,” he said. “We are therefore making sure that the people who are working on the system are adequately trained and that they are operating the system effectively.” He said he was hopeful of an end to the delays in the near future. “But one must not just blame Navis as there are a variety of delays in Durban including the old infrastructure and the archaic methods of operation. All of this is being addressed to improve efficiency.”