goes live nGen goes live nGen - Hongkong International Terminals

14
HIT People
Looking at
the changing face of HIT
C. K. Poon, or better
known to everyone
as PCK, joined HIT
in 1976 and has experienced
some dramatic changes in yard
operations and the industry as
a whole. Now as Container
Yard Operations Manager, he
is surrounded by new
technology, I.T. experts
and is at the centre of
HIT’s ongoing automation
of yard operations.
“The single biggest change in the last
29 years is that there used to be many more
workers in the yard, as we relied heavily on
manual labour for our day-to-day
operations in the seventies and eighties.
Competitive pressure has led to many
functions becoming automated and we
now utilise technology more extensively.”
“The next big change is the attitude of
workers in the yard. In years gone by, many
employees were happy to just do their work
and return home. Now, there is a greater
understanding that we are all working
together to improve operations in order
to benefit our customers,”said PCK.
“Our staff now understand how HIT has
to be more competitive and that everyone
has a part to play in meeting our
customers’ expectations. The company
also provides adequate training to enable
all staff members to improve in their jobs.
Schemes like the Port Worker Development
HIT News, Spring 2005
Programme have been very successful, and
it has enabled yard operations staff to move
into management positions,” he added.
Safety and security have also become
primary considerations in recent times.
Twenty years ago, yard staff relied on luck
as a more relaxed attitude prevailed in
waterfront operations in Hong Kong.
“Now protective equipment is
mandatory in the yard, safety helmets have
to be worn and training is provided to all
workers to reduce the risk of accidents. It
is a lot safer now than in the early days
when we relied on sheer luck,” added PCK.
Security has also been a major
consideration in yard operations,
particularly during the last two years, and
now sophisticated scanning equipment
has been installed at HIT to reduce the
risk of dangerous materials passing
through HIT (Please refer to article on “ICIS
Scanning” on Page 6).
“We have a very well-trained safety and
security department that works very closely
with government inspectors and the
police. They have very strict guidelines for
all staff and contractors which help to keep
the yard safe and secure. This is also a
dramatic improvement from the days
when I first worked for HIT.”
On a social side, PCK is also the Head
of HIT Annual Dinner Committee,
whereby he helped to oversee and
organised this annual event that was
attended by more than 1,000 HIT
employees in Hong Kong. (Please refer
to the feature on “HIT 35th Anniversary
Annual Dinner” on Page 12)
PCK has been married for 31 years and
has two daughters, Lai-yie, 29 years old,
and Lai-ting, 27, and a son Cheung-hei
who is 23. During his leisure time, PCK
enjoys his time as a mahjong maestro,
karaoke singing and horse-racing.