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INDUSTRY OBSERVATION

Sticking to your
competencies

I read a great article the other day where countries around the world were matched to their core competencies. I immediately thought of South Africa and its national competencies, as well as the local transport industry and asked a question I believe all truck transporters should ask themselves: "What does my operation do really well and what duties should it be outsourcing?"

By way of example, when it comes to employment contract negotiations, we just cannot continue the "I’ve signed the cheque, you fill in the noughts" policy, demonstrated in the Coleman Andrews case and now the soccer coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira debacle. My suggestion to avoid the wholesale fleecing that goes on in order to fill executive positions is to outsource the monetary negotiations to Chinese consultants who will assist us in our attempts to ‘buy success’ but at a realistically inflated price!

Here are some outsourcing options to help South Africa iron out a few creases:

Improving law enforcement:
Export our cops and give the landlocked Botswana police a short term contract to see the sea!

Bettering customs clearance:
Model any EU (European Union) clearance operation and replicate it here. We (Africa) need to shed this ‘hurry up and wait’ text book. It is extremely taxing having to stand in queues for two hours while officials process travellers through customs.

Enhancing air travel and airport planning: I agree with T. Brule of the Financial Times on this one. He rates the Finnish airports the best. They must be significantly better than, for example, our Durban crew who have announced the building of the new airport at La Mercy while major contract work at the existing airport is under way. A poor planning master stroke must be the construction of the original airport building right next to the oil refinery; a masterstroke in insurance risk aversion!

Streamlining airport management:
We have to go with the Germans on this one.

More efficient, safer road travel:
Germany again!

Improving road planning and maintenance:
Any of the following countries!
Germany, Switzerland!

Transport management (transporters compliance):
The United Kingdom with their strict and zero tolerance approach to traffic violations is just the tonic for South Africa.

Rail network planning:
The Swiss. Outsource our whole network to the Swiss and incorporate the French TGV.

Rail network maintenance:
The Japanese or the French will do a fantastic job. Note: Please send a copy to the Gautrain management!

My point is, our country is currently gripped with the policy to pay targeted "Mr Fix Its" ludicrous amounts of money in an effort to buy success at any price! Why don’t we expand this policy to the sectors highlighted and for the first time ever, we might just succeed in buying success!