ASEAN Ports Association Malaysia (MAPA)

Terminal operator Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) will be roping in 30 additional skilled personnel to handle vital port machinery next year, as part of efforts to boost productivity.

The port now handles an average crane productivity of 25 TEU (20-foot equivalent unit) moves per hour compared with 35 TEU moves per hour by more productive ports.

The new recruitments will handle the port’s seven new post-panamax cranes and work the extended 1.5km berth, which is due to be completed by the middle of next year, said PPSB human resources general manager Tadzaruddin Abd Manaf.

“There will also be training involved as the cranes are specialised equipment that are crucial in speeding up our operations in container services.

“We plan to get this recruitment process started once we have determined our 2011 budget which will cater for our expansion plans at the end of the year,” he told reporters after officiating at the port’s 14th blood donation campaign, which saw the participation of 140 employees, at its office in George Town yesterday. PPSB employs 1,760 people.

The port is currently undergoing expansion plans, which include the extension of the port’s existing 900m wharf to another 600m, and the deepening of the North Channel among others, to increase its productivity as an international port.

Tadzaruddin said the port has spent about RM1.6 billion over the past five years on infrastructure development, mainly for its North Butterworth Container Terminal.

“With improvements to our infrastructure and online system, we expect business to pick up. Last month alone, we handled 96,000 TEUs.

“For this month, things are looking well. Hopefully, by the end of the year we will be able to reach our one million-TEU target, make RM300 million in revenue and move forward in our efforts to join the big leagues like Port Klang that handles four million TEUs a year,” he said.

PPSB handled a total of 958,476 TEUs last year, compared with 929,639 TEUs in 2008.

The port was ranked 64th in the world this year, 36 places above its last year’s position at 100.

Tadzaruddin said PPSB will work towards improving its international ranking, or at least maintain its performance.

“We are on the right track in serving our customers locally and internationally. We are expecting business to increase in 2011,” he said.

By: Looi Sue-Chern

Terminal operator Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) plans to boost productivity this year, newly appointed chairman Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya said yesterday.

Although shipping companies and ports were hit hard by the global economic downturn, Penang Port’s volume rose 3 per cent in 2009.

In a statement issued yesterday, Dr Hilmi said in 2009, Penang Port handled a total of 958,476 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) compared with 929,639 TEUs in 2008.

“Our main priorities now are to continually improve our productivity, provide a range of diverse supporting port services and monitor our expansion plans in great detail”, he said.

PPSB has embarked on several key projects.

“The first phase in the expansion of dedicated container terminal will include a new 600m wharf extension to the existing 900 metre wharf, with new decking area for export container. A third access bridge is under construction. Simultaneously, for the second part of this project, a new back decking area will be built parallel to the existing 900m wharf.”

Construction for this project is 65 per cent done and four months ahead of schedule.

To complement the expansion, Penang Port has taken delivery of seven Post-Panamax cranes, each costing RM25 million.

While four of the cranes were delivered in November 2009, Dr Hilmi said the remainder arrived last month.

“A Post-Panamax crane,” Dr Hilmi noted, “can reach 16 rows of containers on board the ship. The new cranes with its twin-lift capabilities will speed up handling operations as it can pick up two containers at a time.

“With these new projects, productivity at the port will be enhanced with a new target of crane productivity at more than 25 TEUs moves per hour.”

By: Btimes.com.my

PETALING JAYA: While Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd leads the industry in terms of productivity, its success does not solely rely on advanced equipment and facilities, but more importantly, its workforce.

“The port business is in a service-oriented industry where people are the most important asset,” its executive director Ruben Emir Gnanalingam told StarBiz.

“Every port can acquire the most advanced cranes, berths and system but what makes a terminal better than the rest is how it manages its people.”

In scouting for talents, Gnanalingam said Westports offered attractive remuneration packages and staff benefits.

“As there are not that many applicants with prior port experience, we basically train our employees from scratch.

Ruben Emir Gnanalingam

Ruben Emir Gnanalingam

“Experience is a not a necessary pre-requisite, what is more important is finding the suitable person for the right position,” he said.

Gnanalingam said Westports’ young executives programme would include training in various departments to evaluate and identify the areas that an employee could excel in.

“And if an employee feels jaded doing the same job for a long time, we will try to move him around,” he said.

Westports averagely recruits 12 young executives every six months as part of its succession plan.

Gnanalingam said via the recruitment plan, Westports ensured that when a person left or were promoted, the vacant position would be filled by another experienced employee.

Another interesting talent management practice at Westports is its focus on key competence indicators (KCIs).

“Alongside our key performance indicators (KPIs), we also have KCIs that measure and describe an employee’s competence and character.

“This will identify a person’s talent to be placed in the most suitable position,” he said.

Westports also values leadership potential at every level of its operations.

“Every employee is encouraged to develop and train newer and less experienced subordinates. For me, I am constantly developing 30 to 40 of my senior managers to be better,” he said.

Westports is one of the key sponsors alongside Sime Darby Bhd and StarBiz for the Asia Strategic Talent Management Forum 2008 on Nov 13.

The forum, which will be held at Sime Darby Convention Centre, is organised by Leaderonomics Sdn Bhd.

By SHARIDAN M. ALI