Westport is setting itself a goal of 35 moves per hour (mph) next year in the hope of further enhancing its container handling productivity.

Its executive chairman Tan Sri G. Gnanalingam said Westport’s container productivity had increased from 20 moves per hour (mph) in 1994 to 30 mph in 2004.

“Our break bulk productivity target is 300 tonnes per hour, dry bulk at 500 tonnes and liquid bulk at 3,000 tonnes per hour.”

He said Westport had followed Singapore’s PSA International’s lead in prioritising the training and management of a highly skilled workforce above infrastructure and state-of-the-art equipment.

“PSA rose to fame with 25 moves per hour.

“Today Westport staff can do 30 mph and the Malaysian port industry is probably the first or the only industry which has given the Singaporeans a run for their money.

“Our container volume has grown every year since our inception, from 20,000 boxes in 1996 to 2.6 million boxes today.

“Our conventional volume has also grown and today it is at eight million tonnes,” he said, adding that Westport’s revenue this year would exceed RM500mil.

Gnanalingam said that over the years Westport had demonstrated its prowess in increasing vessel productivity.

“The last feat was 368 moves with six cranes, which is tantamount to 60 moves per hour.

Port Klang has grown from 1.5 million TEUs to 5.2 million TEUs with 65% of our volume in the transhipment business.”

He said Westport’s success so far is due in a large part to the immense co-operation they had received from the various government agencies and private sector companies, saying the shift in the Customs mindset, which was proven when they agreed to work around the clock, was invaluable to Westport.

“They (Customs) have changed their stance from guilty until proven innocent to innocent until proven otherwise,” he said.

He also said that Westport had had tremendous assistance from the Immigration, Health, Agricultural and Fisheries Departments, all of which had helped Westport with documentation and faster online clearances.

“We’ve also received excellent service from the Telcos, JBA and Tenaga Nasional,” said Gnanalingam, in his speech in conjunction with Westport's 10th anniversary celebrations last week.

Another party, according to him, that was responsible for Westport’s achievements was its workforce.

“When we look at the success of Westport, we think of the question - who built the Taj Mahal?

“Usually the answer is ‘Shah Jehan built the Taj Mahal’, but the Taj Mahal would have remained a mere dream if not for the thousands of skilled artisans and workers.

“We started with 20 staff in 1994 and today we have more than 2,000 staff. We are 100% Malaysian with 70% of the workforce being bumiputras.”

He said 99% of Westport’s staff was new to the port industry, but with extensive training and development schemes, they had been transformed into a highly skilled and productive workforce with high performance standards.

“We believe the people are an organisation’s asset and that only the best employers will get the best employees.

“We have established ourselves as a regional hub facilitating world trade via Malaysian corridors and direct trade with our South-East Asian neighbours, thereby reducing third-party costs,” he said.

The Star, 20.12.2004