Extreme prices, weather events, tightening regulations, labour shortages—the challenges that today’s ports encounter are ever-increasing. To say that the last few years have been marked by instability would be something of an understatement. And yet that instability, by all accounts, is very much here to stay. There will be future natural disasters and accidents. There will be new regulations and security risks. To remain competitive, ports must focus on strategies that make them resilient and competitive in the face of instability.
For many, that means taking a closer look at workforce development. After all, an operator who can improve their cycle time from 19 to 24 moves per hour can complete more than 100 additional moves per week. That calculation, multiplied over the span of a year, a career, or an entire workforce, equals significant increases in berth and terminal productivity, cost savings, and decarbonisation. In addition, the concentrated practice that led to operational improvements also contributes to incident reduction—potentially saving lives.
But while everyone is talking about the importance of workforce development, it’s worth considering if they’re thinking about it in the right way and investigating the right approach. As Maksim Mihic, Global Executive Vice President, Operations & Engineering at DP World recently concluded at the Terminal Operations Conference (TOC), the ability to learn and unlearn is crucial in today’s ever-changing environment. It’s not just about improving cycle times, but about having the ability to quickly train your workforce for whatever new priorities or challenges they may encounter.
It’s worth asking the question: What is the best approach to workforce development? Because the answer points to a solution that can have profound consequences for ports worldwide. Currently, there are billions in lost savings and potential being wasted all over the planet.
Organisations currently training operators using a combination of theory and practice on real equipment know all too well that it’s a notoriously difficult, dangerous, and time-consuming process. Adjusting training schedules to accommodate berth availability frequently extends the overall training timeline, sometimes even doubling it. Meanwhile, having inexperienced operators working with real equipment slows productivity and increases the risk of an accident. Compound these problems with other issues such as the fuel and maintenance costs that come from training on real equipment, and there’s significant potential for improvement.
What is the solution that addresses all these challenges at once? Let’s start by looking at the first step: simulation.
Read the full article charting the expanding role of simulation today in operator training and hails the enhancement of its power when formatted in an Intelligent Training System on Port Strategy‘s website.
