TNPA postpones new online system

Transnet National

Ports Authority (TNPA)

has postponed the

implementation of its new

Cash-to-Order System that

was set to go live on April 1.

Mmutle Lentle, chief

information officer (CIO)

of TNPA and technical

sponsor of the Cashto-

Order project which

will replace the current

PortsOnline system,

told FTW the

decision had

come after

re-evaluating

the change

implications of the

project.

“This is no longer

simply a platform

change from

Portsonline but is

an entirely new

business practice

which

requires

more direct

interaction

with our current and future

customer base,” he said.

“In addition, the change

readiness assessment

undertaken by the project

team indicated a poor

uptake of the registration

process. This suggests

that a more robust

registration process needs

to be conducted with

our customers and their

organisations.”

Lentle said that having

reviewed engagements with

customers thus far it was

clear that efforts needed to

be increased and plans were

under way to kick off this

process in April.

He said this could even

be extended to cold calling

existing customers to ensure

they understood the reasons

and requirements for

registration.

It is imperative that

TNPA customers register

prior to the system going

live as this is the only way

to access it and transact.

Anyone not registered on

the system will encounter

major disruptions to

business operations.

Lentle said this scenario

was to be avoided at all

costs.

“Order-to-Cash will

be implemented in a big

bang approach. This

means PortsOnline will be

switched off and Orderto-

Cash switched on,” he

explained.

He said one of the biggest

challenges thus far had

been customer registration

documentation. Customer

feedback indicated that the

registration process was

complex.

According to Lentle, the

team has already addressed

this by refining and relaxing

the process significantly.

But ultimately it was clear

that more communication

and engagement around

registration was required,

he said.

“We are therefore

intensifying the registration

campaign. Roadshows are

being rescheduled

in an attempt

to cover a wider

customer base.

Our goal is to

proactively assist

with those areas

of the process

that customers

have found

complex.”

Regular

communiques

were also

being sent

out, he

said.

Cashto-

Order sets out to

provide TNPA customers

with an omni channel and

interactive e-commerce

platform including a more

user-friendly interface and

improved transparency

when transacting with the

port authority. It also brings

an end to any manual

capturing processes.

Benefits of the new system

include reduced time, costs

and improved interaction

with TNPA.

Lentle said a new

go-live date was yet to be

determined.