Page 34 - Logistics News July 2019

News
New fruit terminal adds
capacity at Maydon Wharf
Courtesy www.ftwonline.co.za
AFRICAN PORT Logistics Infrastructure (APLI) has
invested around R60 million to upscale effi ciency
and capacity at its subsidiary Maydon Wharf Fruit
Terminal (MFT) at Durban port. MD of APLI, Kees
Anton van Welie, said at the recent launch of the
fi rm’s new offi ces in Maydon Wharf that he was
upbeat about growth prospects for exports and had
invested the sum in its facilities over the past two
years. He said MFT had handled 200,000 pallets of
citrus in 2018, up from 174,000 pallets the previous
year, and more growth was anticipated in 2019.
“We have made signifi cant investments aimed at
increasing our cold storage capacity from 11,500 to
14,500 pallets under cooling. We have also increased
the effi ciency of our cooling plant, ensuring quick and
even cooling to reduce fruit temperatures to ranges
determined by relevant citrus export protocols,” van
Welie said.
APLI Head of Operations Ben Marais said large
cold storage facilities with high volume throughput
were required to effi ciently handle export product to
EU/UK/Russia and Middle East markets. In addition,
specialised equipment with signifi cantly higher capital
investment is required to service the fast-growing Far
East markets, which subject cargo to more stringent
cold treatment protocols, essentially sterilising the
fruit. •
32
Drones to monitor
movement in port and
movement stacks
Courtesy www.ftwonline.co.za
SEVERAL FACTORS
were considered in
the choice of Cato
Ridge as the location
of the new Cato Ridge
Intermodal Logistics
Hub, according to the
CEO of the Cato Ridge
Consortium, Warwick
Lord. Its relatively fl at
topography and the
convergence of three Warwick Lord, CEO
transport modes – the of the Cato Ridge
N3, the Natcor line
Consortium.
and the multi-product
pipeline and old Durban
to Johannesburg Pipeline – were key criteria,
he added. The development aims to alleviate
congestion around the Port of Durban by
driving the government’s agenda to move
cargo from road to rail.
At the proof of concept stage of the
development, there were no ancillary services
available such as a lay down area for containers,
which meant trucks and wagons had to be at
the premises at the same time to be racked
and stacked and waiting, which could lead
to delays. Lord said the hub could currently
accommodate 22 wagons.
He said the hub would implement state-of-
the-art technology, including drones, to monitor
movement in the port and container stacks.
“When you are running a logistics system, data
is key to know when boxes are arriving and
leaving, and this information can be used to
plan effi ciently. We are partnering with Sanral
and will tie into their data set on the N3 so we
can plan when trucks arrive to collect or deliver,
where to place boxes appropriately, either at
the top or bottom of the stack, depending on
when they will arrive.”
“We will be able to track the box to see
where bottlenecks are in the system and we will
introduce drones into our container yard. The
drones will fl y on a predefi ned grid every three
to four hours to check where a box has been
ascribed and if it is still there two hours later. It’s
part of our checks and balances,” Lord said. •
July 2019 | Logistics News