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N. RAMACHANDRAN, CHAIRMAN, CPT

V. Sajeev Kumar

‘Accuracy, Speed, Efficiency and Transparency' is now the slogan at Kochi Port. Gone are the days of pushing mountains of files. Gone are the days when a transaction would take several rounds of manual entries, creating reams of paper documents. Gone are the days when customers had to fill in bundles of paper forms and visit multiple offices and bank counters for getting a berth allocation. Kochi Port has become the first major port in the country to implement a comprehensive Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project. Mr N. Ramachandran, Chairman of the Cochin Port Trust, spoke to Business Line about the salient features of the project.

Excerpts from the interview:

What is the relevance of the ePort project ?

I see a major role for the port in shaping the future business landscape of this part of the country. The port is spearheading an array of prestigious mega projects which are sure to give a huge boost to the country's economic growth.

If we are to take these to a logical conclusion, we have to position ourselves as a modern organisation with efficient and transparent systems and processes. Our work practices should match with the best in the world.

Keeping this in view, the port has embarked upon this ambitious project using the tools of IT. The e-Port is designed to make our operations efficient, error-free and transparent.

Since ERP products are highly secured, reliable and robust with integrated solutions employing best practices and standard processes, the port has gone in for a SAP- based Enterprise Resource Planning system.

It will provide us the much-needed critical information relating to all the important KPIs (key performance indices) that we intended to improve at the port for quite some time now but were handicapped by the fact that we simply did not have a real-time and reliable system to measure the KPIs with. Now that we can measure them, we can improve them too.

A joint team of the Tata Consultancy Services and the Port Trust has been working on the project for more than two years now.

The ‘e-thuramugham' project will improve our capacity to align our organisational objectives with our manpower, technology and work practices. It will help us pursue opportunities proactively.

How does the e-port impact the employees of the port?

The e-Port touches every employee of the port. As an employee walks into or leaves the office, a biometric identity system records his time of arrival and departure and feeds this information directly into an attendance management system.

The monthly salary, overtime, and other financial remunerations as well as the leave and other entitlement of the employees are calculated by the system.

There was a time when a retiring employee had to chase the case of getting his pension and retirement benefits, leading to considerable delays and hardship. In the new system, these are processed and finalised well before the retirement date.

Employees are enabled to apply for leave; advances, etc., online, and check information about their service on a fully transparent personnel management system.

How is e-Port different from the Port Community System of the Indian Port Association ?

The port has also implemented the Port Community System of the Indian Port Association, as a part of its collective, collaborative and co-operative approach to EDI implementation, for the benefit of all the members of the Indian Port Community.

The PCS system links through the Internet, all stakeholders and members of the Port Community including exporters, importers, Custom House agents, shipping lines, shipping agents, stevedores, transport operators, banks, ports, terminal operators, Customs, and other organisations/companies in the maritime logistics chain.

The Port has, however, taken the initiative to go further, beyond the PCS. The ‘e-thuramugham' or ‘e-Port' launched is an integrated Port Information System, covering its operational, financial, project management, maintenance, material management, estate management, industry specific utilities and human resource functions.

The integrated system, together with all associated support systems, helps closely monitor the performance in all areas of operations and management and provides improved levels of service delivery to internal and external customers.

How does the e-Port help port customers?

One of the key modules of the e-Port is the Cargo and Logistics Management System (CALMS), designed to provide a real-time interface with Customs, port users and banks by making use of the Port Community System of the Indian Ports Association and integrating it with the operational areas of the port.

This helps provide the trrade with a single-window facility for filing applications, receiving service bills, payments and enquiries. Customers from any part of the world can do business with the port without having to visit the port.

What are the major modules of the e-Port project?

The entire operation of the port has been brought under the purview of e-port. These include the port operating system, covering the marine and cargo handling operations such as pilotage, berth allocation, deployment of labour and judicious space management for cargo storage.

The e-port is also integrated with the existing hospital management system already in existence.

What are the main benefits to the organisation?

The ERP is expected to greatly increase operational efficiency, besides ensuring transparency. From the point of view of the management, the benefits are tremendous, from the integration of business processes across departments into a single enterprise-wide information system.

Improved co-ordination across functional departments and increased efficiencies of doing business, avoidance of wastage and repetitive works, financial discipline, availability of reliable database to support decision making and forecasting.

The top management can make sound business decisions based on accurate and current information rather than depending on intuition. Data analysis, reporting, and query tools help managers and business users wade through a sea of data to synthesise valuable information. The system allows the managers to monitor multiple locations of the port and gives them real-time financial and productivity related information.

More Stories on : Interview | Shipping/Ports | Enterprise Resource Planning

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