Users of South African ports are voting with their computer mice for Transnet National Port Authority’s Order to Cash (OTC) system which replaced PortsOnline in August last year.
“Since the inception of the OTC solution in TNPA, the adoption rate has grown rapidly,” says TNPA's Tinyiko Freeman Mabasa. “The take-up and usage of the new system is impressive, with 6087 active OTC users compared to PortsOnline which only had 1768 active users.”
All PortsOnline users have migrated to OTC, which is used to submit documentation such as cargo dues, orders, manifests and reports online. Mike Walwyn, chairman of the Cape’s Port Liaison Forum, says users have told him they far prefer OTC to the old system.
He is using it in his own operation. “It was easy to switch over and so far, no problems have been experienced,” he said. Mabasa said OTC response times were too slow when the system first went live.
This had been resolved in the second week, and the system was now meeting all the targeted objectives and timelines, he told FTW. OTC was implemented to provide TNPA customers with what is described as “an omni channel and interactive e-commerce platform including a more user-friendly interface and improved transparency when transacting with the port authority”. It has replaced all manual capturing processes.
“One of the major benefits is that customers are able to process and track their online orders seamlessly in real time,” said Mabasa. He has encouraged port users to go onto the OTC website and watch the demonstrations to refresh their knowledge of the system and to find out more about its capabilities.
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All PortsOnline users have migrated to OTC, which is used to submit documentation online
