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4 Latest Update Customers have their say in wide ranging study As the container terminal business becomes more competitive, understanding customer needs and delivering timely solutions have become critical factors in sustaining the company’s reputation as a market leader. HIT recently completed its most comprehensive and detailed survey to find out what our customers really think of us. The 2004 Customer Satisfaction Survey was the most in-depth and wide ranging study to date, with a more sophisticated methodology that provided Hongkong International Terminals (HIT) with detailed feedback from its major shipping line clients on its performance and service levels. The objectives were to measure the operational performance of HIT services compared to its competitors and the level of interaction between HIT and its customers, which will allow the company to highlight areas that need special attention and consequently improve service quality in those areas. The survey was designed to solicit upfront feedback from a broad ‘band’ of managers and officers working for customers, with primary aim to have a linear set of responses rather than ‘top down’ solely from senior managers. One-to-one interviews were carried out between HIT staff and nominated personnel from 18 major carriers calling at HIT over a threemonth period. HIT News, Spring 2005 Service levels and facilities received high marks from customers who took part in the survey, notably for Hong Kong and Asia. This took into account the friendliness of HIT staff, how they rated yard facilities, and how reliable services are. Customers were also asked about how confident they feel in using HIT and provided feedback on the level of efficiency on the services provided. The study also aimed to establish benchmarks and tracking that can be used in future studies. The purpose of the study was not to find fault, but rather to provide a consistent and valuable communication tool that opens up new channels with HIT’s customers. Overall, the results reflected confidence in HIT staff because of their positive attitude and responsiveness and generally HIT’s facilities and management were rated highly. Close attention also has to be paid to improving flexibility especially when dealing with customer representatives. There were also responses that indicated that a continuous process of improvement should be implemented. Immediate action has been taken to launch the HIT Monthly Bulletin to provide customers with the latest information regarding a wide range of events, operational changes, new IT initiatives and service information, all of which are aimed at improving communications with our customers. HIT will continue to make use of the survey findings to address longerterm organisational issues and regularly seek improvements on proactiveness in keeping customers informed and flexibility to meet special needs. “ HIT scored well in customer service levels compared to other terminals in Hong Kong, China and the rest of Asia, and staff attitude also ranked highly. However, a significant area that could have further improvement is being more proactive. We have already taken concrete steps to address this pressing issue by increasing the level of communication with our customers and we will continue to address this area in our organisational developments. ” Ken Chou, General Manager -Strategic Planning, said:
China Magazine Deep water container port development underway at Gaolan The expansion of China’s economy and the rapid industrial and commercial development in the South China region have presented Gaolan with vast opportunities in shaping it to become an important shipping centre for production, distribution and manufacturing platform for the world. Strategically located at Zhuhai, one of the earliest special economic zones in China and most popular spot for foreign investment, Gaolan Port, or Zhuhai International Container Terminals (Gaolan) (ZICT(G)) as it is more commonly-known, is the only natural deep-water port on the western side of the Pearl River Delta (PRD). Driving the expansion at the port are the numerous growing industrial and manufacturing zones in Zhuhai, where foreign joint-venture manufacturers have migrated across the Pearl River to take advantage of the lower land and labour costs, and a range of tax incentives offered to newlyestablished businesses. “For two decades we have seen the eastern side of the PRD thrive with Shenzhen and Guangzhou becoming major production centres for global companies. In the last five to six years, companies have moved across the river and the industrial zones are rapidly growing as there is plenty of lower-cost land still available for development. Local, provincial and national governments are very supportive of this initiative as it is in line with their “Go West” policy. This environment is highly conducive to the development of our new dedicated container facilities,” said Alfred Leung, General Manager, Hutchison Delta Ports (HDP). Strategically, Gaolan is well-positioned on the western side of the PRD to consolidate cargo from the smaller river ports along the West River (Xijiang). The Phase I multi-purpose terminals are positioned to accommodate both container and bulk cargo, particularly coal for the local power plants and steel for the booming construction sector. Together with well-connected highways and railways network, cargo originating from the flourishing manufacturing bases throughout the entire South-western China region can now directly access Gaolan. The new phase, with more dedicated container berths, enables shippers in the region to further access international markets via Gaolan, making this region the gateway to the world. Collectively, with the growing trade at the HDP river terminals at Jiangmen International Container Terminals (JMCT) and Nanhai International Container Terminals (NICT), feeder services for both general and containerised cargo are made available and this enables shipping lines to get closer to the manufacturing centres in the PRD. Gaolan Port and all the other Delta Ports under the Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) umbrella operate seamlessly and play an important part in contributing to the success of the Group. “As well as the ports at Nanhai and Jiangmen, there are other smaller ports with growing barge traffic along the West Gaolan Port Transportation Network River. Moving cargo by barge means that shippers do not need to incur highway tolls and delays due to traffic congestion can be avoided. In addition, a barge can move a large number of containers compared to one or two on a truck and trailer,”said Leung. With the rapid growth of economic and trade co-operation between China and the ASEAN countries, China has capitalised on the flow of goods traded between the region’s countries. Gaolan’s status as an important shipping hub will be further enhanced as China’s trade reforms result in significant economic growth for the country. HIT News, Spring 2005 5
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