Grindrod’s quest to digitalise logistics industry in South Africa

Background

The logistics industry has evolved significantly in the past 50 years. International trade proliferated, vessels became larger and electronic data interchange and standards improved communication and control. The burgeoning volumes and ever-increasing vessel sizes pressured ports and terminals to keep up with these changes themselves. A considerable challenge is that many aspects of logistics operations today remain firmly anchored in the past, dependent on manual and paper-based systems. Players seeking to ensure a competitive edge are now being driven to adopt a much more digital mindset employing the latest technologies as enablers for real-time improvements that are more productive, customer friendly, efficient and competitive.

Challenge

Grindrod operates bulk terminals in Richards Bay, Maputo and Walvis Bay as well as a car terminal in Maputo. One of their major challenges was tracking cargo throughput by manual data capture into an outdated system that offered limited reporting capability – in addition there was no consistency of software across the operation.

Approach

The key objective was to gain visibility throughout the operation, in order to improve efficiencies. Prior to our interaction, Grindrod was utilising legacy technology that was difficult to integrate with other solutions and supported from a different country. Our solution enabled the visibility, in addition to bridging the gap where specific systems and process were previously missing. Grindrod chose Keyrus for a number of reasons, including the fact that the company was able to offer an end-to-end integration that specifically utilises latest generation technologies like the IoT, as well as embracing the cloud – which everyone knows is more cost effective and efficient than on-premise solutions. Perhaps most crucially of all, the solution is designed to be future-proof and stores commercial and engineering data for up to 10 years, affording significant opportunity to use advanced analytics to obtain even deeper insights, over time.

Key results

Benefits

The delivery of centralised, near real-time visualisation of operational data for each terminal site, backed up by an analytics platform that facilitates improved decision-making. According to Vishal Deeplaul, CEO of Grindrod’s Terminal business, the company recognised the critical importance of modern technology like the Internet of Things (IoT), along with the fact that every aspect of logistics has now been touched by the integration of automation and big data. Keyrus offered Grindrod a solution designed to monitor data that captures the input and output at each event of the consignment. This boosted both accountability and transparency and will comprehensively assist the client in optimising the entire logistics process. Improved data sharing between different stakeholders, and confirmed real-time supply chain visibility, synchronised the movement of goods from pit to port to reduce costs and delays.

What our clients say

“We chose Keyrus for a number of reasons, including the fact that the company was able to offer us an end-to-end integration that utilises the latest generation technologies like the IoT"

Vishal Deeplaul, Chief Executive Officer, Grindrod Terminals

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