21-12 SCLAA Newsletter

DEC ‘21

WHAT’S ON

IN THIS ISSUE

–

Three ways to prepare warehouse staff for the holiday season

04

–

Case study: Blum Australia

–

Continuous improvement tips for businesses

–

SCLAA divisions reports

–

Upcoming events

DEC ‘21

WHAT’S ON

IN THIS ISSUE DEC ‘21

P 02

03

Chair’s message

05

Uplifting opportunities - MHD Magazine

08

Three ways to prepare warehouse staff for the holiday season

10

Continuous improvement tips for businesses

12

Case study: Blum Australia

16

SCLAA welcomes new national partners

17

Straight talking with David Doherty

19

Division messages

WELCOMING OUR NEW NATIONAL PARTNER

DEC ‘21

I would like to extend the SCLAA’s thanks to all those who volunteered their time as Mentors to support and offer valuable insights to the upcoming leaders of our industry.

Planning has already commenced for the 2022 National Mentoring Program.

If the one word that summed up 2020 was “adaptability”, this continued to be the case for the SCLAA along with “transition” The Board took the opportunity to reflect on SCLAA strategy and held a number of in house marketing and

Sue Tomic SCLAA Chair Director/Principal Consultant for Chain

branding workshops, along with its annual Strategic workshop, to review and reset the vision and goals for the next 3 years.

Consulting Services, based in Sydney.

The results of those meetings and workshops are 3

Appointed to the Board in 2019, Sue is

overarching outcomes which will remain the focus for

SCLAA Chair.

the future-

Chairs Report AGM 2021

1.

Whilst we anticipated 2021 as a turning point in the

2. To promote Supply Chain & Logistics as a profession

Covid pandemic and a return to life as we know it, the

and career of choice, drive access to programs for

and market share as the “go to” association for industry, increase Membership Growth and participation whilst increasing exposure across all media platforms

year continued to be challenging across the nation and more than a little challenging for the supply chain and

To further increase the SCLAA reputation, profile

Professional Development, Education and Training 3. To provide forums and the platform for sharing of

logistics industry.

industry knowledge, collaboration across Supply

I am extremely proud of all our Board and State Com-

Chain & Logistics sectors and promote initiatives

mittee volunteers who, despite numerous challenges

and technology that drives efficiency

facing them in their day jobs, all continued to focus on supporting SCLAA members and our valued Partners,

As a result, the key Special project Committees of Mar-

and continued to make 2021 a very productive year for

keting, Chaired by Cam Tran, and Professional Develop-

the Association.

ment, Education & Training, Chaired by Ben Fahminia,

Despite nationwide restrictions and lockdowns faced by

were formed and tasked with progressing initiatives for

the various Divisions, the need for connection amongst

the first 2 future focused objectives.

Supply Chain practitioners remained even more critical,

For the Marketing Committee, this included a review

be it virtual or, where permitted, in person.

of our positioning in the Association marketplace and aligning our identity with our brand. After much delib-

Whilst we had to hold the 2020 ASCLA awards as a virtu-

eration and feedback provided through State Commit-

al event in Nov 2020, and have postponed the 2021 ASC-

tees, the new brand identity was chosen that best com-

LA awards, to March 2022, 82 SCLAA events were held

municated SCLAA’s vision and goals to members and

up to Oct 2021, with a total of over 2300 attendees.

industry. You will have seen this in action with the new

The majority of webinars remained free of charge for

branding being rolled out across social media platforms

SCLAA members and, to support those within Supply

in recent weeks.

Chain & Logistics during COVID-19, and we continued to

Behind the scenes, the Board and Marketing committee

make a number of the webinars free for non-members

has been working on the new SCLAA website in partic-

as well.

ular to :

During 2021, our mentoring programme was delivered

•

to circa 100 participants via virtual and face to face means.

P 03

Align and improve communication to the broader industry of who we are and what we do as an As-

DEC ‘21

sociation.

base.

Redesign the events registration page to better

I would like to extend a special welcome to our new

communicate content, and streamline registration

National Partners who have joined the SCLAA over the

procedure.

past year:

Redesign the member login page to ease access-

•

Americold Logistics

ing member only resources and benefits.

•

Australia Post

SCLAA has formally partnered with nationally rec-

•

Australian Customs Clearance

ognised industry publications (MHD, Inside FMCG and

•

Blue Parrot

DCN) providing subscription benefits to members as

•

First Aid accident & Emergency

well as increasing the SCLAA profile to industry.

•

Geek+

We will continue to be contributors of content to these

•

Infor

publications as well as achieve benefits for the Associa-

•

Ivanti

tion through advertising/promotions.

•

Soti

•

Swisslog

We have also partnered with IETV who will be pro-

•

Vative &

moting a televised series of interviews showcasing the

•

TT Logistics

•

•

ASCLA awards in the lead up as well as interviews on the night. The 60th anniversary of the ASCL Awards, as

And our sincere appreciation is extended for our ongo-

mentioned, will be celebrated next year and will be a

ing National Partners:

special milestone event for the Association.

•

HDL Insurance Brokers/TT Club

We are all excited to be launching the new website early

•

Sidekicker

2022.

•

Couriers Please

•

Vanderlande Industries Australia Pty Ltd

The TED Committee, chaired by Prof Ben Fahimnia

•

Toyota Material Handling Australia

from the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies,

•

Dematic

The University of Sydney Business School, brings to-

•

Wisetech/CargoWise

gether representatives from major universities in each

•

Zebra Technologies

State as well as Tafe, Australian Institute of Business &

•

BluJay Solutions

Monarch institute.

•

HERE Technology

The TED committee is also working in conjunction with

•

Gamma Solutions

other SCLAA committees to identify and incorporate

•

Xtreme Freight

initiatives relating to soft skills to assist members with

•

Cornerstone Performance Management

career pathways, development and progression during 2022.

The growth and ongoing support of our National Partners are vital to the continued success of the SCLAA.

During 2021, the SCLAA also formalised a partnership

The increase in National Partnerships during 2021 is tes-

with Akolade, providing state of the art local and glob-

tament to our hard-working Board & State Committees

al virtual conferences with substantial discounted pric-

to deliver and exceed NP expectations

ing to members. All 3rd party industry events, including

It is recognition that the SCLAA continues to remain

Megatrans 2022, will provide secured discounted pric-

a dynamic association that knows no limits including

ing for SCLAA members.

commitment to showcasing innovation, expertise, strategic reach and a strong commitment to professional

The Board has also undertaken an extensive review of

continuous improvement.

membership trends and member feedback, resulting in

In closing, I am humbled and pleased to assume the

the launch of two new categories of membership -Plat-

role of Chair after serving as Treasurer and Vice Chair in

inum National Partner and Executive Membership. The

previous years and Interim Chair during 2021.

membership fees include such benefits as registration

On behalf of the SCLAA Board and State Committees,

to Tier 1 events such as the Awards, as well as speaking

I would like to wish all stakeholders a safe and Merry

opportunities at conferences and SCLAA events and ad-

Christmas, a prosperous New Year and we look forward

ditional benefits identified by the existing membership

to working with you in 2022.

P 04

DEC ‘21

Uplifting Opportunities Samantha Martin-Williams Director, SCLAA and Newcastle Airport Samantha (Sam) Martin-Williams is a Director of both Supply Chain and Logistics Association of Australia (SCLAA) and Newcastle Airport (NAPL) and has previously worked as General Manager and Company Secretary of the Hunter Valley Coal Chain Coordinator.

As challenging as the conditions of the last couple of years have been, they have also served to prompt new thinking and tap into previously unrealised potential across the nation. Amongst the tumult of the past 18 months, the resilience and diversification of Newcastle Airport’s is a shining example.

With a global pandemic continuing to wreak havoc on national and global economies, the aviation sector has been harder hit than most. Despite this, Newcastle Airport emerged with a best-in-class recovery in passenger numbers, and a stronger, more diversified, and more valuable business. Its aspirations are bolder and its influence greater, cementing its role as a regional leader that will shape the future growth of the Hunter and northern NSW including in the freight and logistics sector.

Significantly, in May this year, the Prime Minister announced $66 million in funding to upgrade the airfield at Newcastle Airport, which is a Federal Defence asset. This upgrade, to be completed by late 2023 will see the airfield attain Code E status, allowing wide-bodied, long-haul aircraft to utilise the port.

Complementing this infrastructure upgrade is the development of a Special Activation Precinct (SAP) at Williamtown, which will have the airport at its core. This SAP is one of six in regional NSW and was announced after extensive advocacy from the airport in conjunction with key regional organisations. The SAP comes with significant government investment and a fast-tracked planning regime to drive economic outcomes for state.

The NSW Government has committed to spending $1billion on the six SAP’s it has announced across NSW. This indicates government investment in Williamtown in the order of $100M+ over the course of the development. The Williamtown precinct is also expected to generate 5,000+ highly skilled jobs. Whilst many of these will be in the Defence and aerospace sector, there is no doubt that demand for freight out of Newcastle Airport will lead to supply chain growth.

These significant government announcements are true game changers for northern NSW, unlocking huge potential and possibility. Modelling undertaken by the airport indicates an economic benefit of $12.7 billion to the region over the 20-year life of the runway. Of this, $6.5B will be derived from increased freight activity.

Investing in Williamtown and the upgraded runway also supports the NSW Government’s Hunter Regional Plan, which positions the Port of Newcastle and Newcastle Airport as global gateways, through improved interregional links and infrastructure for freight movements as a key goal.

The Federal Government’s funding commitment, coupled with the NSW State Government’s announcement of a Special Activation Precinct will see Williamtown well placed to drive the region’s evolution to one of our nation’s key freight and export hubs. Some of the export opportunities that will present themselves seem clear, given the proximity of the Port Stephens based airport to aquaculture, beef and mining technology industries to name a few. However it is the opportunities that are not yet apparent, that harbour most potential.

P 05

DEC ‘21

In terms of freight projections, there is the potential, based on existing production levels, for a total of 20,519 tonnes of freight to be exported through Newcastle Airport annually, at a total value of approximately $2.1 billion. Considering the expected stimulation driven by international connectivity this is predicted to rise further to potentially 48,700 tonnes, valued at $4.7 billion by 2039.

To further flesh out these opportunities and the catalytic growth that will come with international connectivity, Newcastle Airport has been a driving force behind the organisation of a regional Summit to be held in early 2022. A collaborative effort, this Summit will be driven by the 10 local Hunter Councils and draw on the skills of the University of Newcastle, Hunter Business Chamber and Committee for the Hunter. It will connect key industry representatives along with Federal, State and Local Government agencies and development organisations. Its intent is to embed a united regional approach to driving practical outcomes on the back of the airport’s capacity enhancement.

To find out more contact: Peter Wych Executive Manager Property and Commercial pwych@newcastleairport.com.au 0431 380 507

SCLAA RAISES FUNDS FOR WAGEC At the SCLAA International Women’s Day Event to be held at Parliament House, 8 March 2022, we will be ‘raising funds for WAGEC’ as our chosen charity.

If you would like to support this worthy organisation and sponsor this prestigious event, please contact secretary@ sclaa.com.au. for more information.

All sponsorship monies raised will be donated to WAGEC and are tax deductible.

Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre (WAGEC) is a feminist, grassroots organisation that supports women and families in crisis and advocates for social change in the community.

Our core work is providing crisis support to women and children through accommodation, material aid, biopsychosocial support, crisis responses and case management. Equally we seek to address the underlying causes of domestic violence, homelessness and gender inequality through primary prevention activities with businesses and communities. Each night at WAGEC we are accommodating 200 women and children. We are working to help build safe futures for all women and families by ending gender based violence in a generation.

P 06

THE SCLAA ACKNOWLEDGES THE VALUABLE SUPPORT RECEIVED FROM ITS NETWORK OF NATIONAL PARTNERS.

MEDIA PARTNERS.

Interested in becoming an SCLAA National Partner?

1300 364 160 secretary@sclaa.com.au

DEC ‘21

Three ways to prepare warehouse staff for the holiday season As workers become busier, their risk of burnout ticks up. Use these tricks and tools to help reduce their stress and ensure your success during another turbulent holiday season.

It’s never too early to prepare for the holiday season,

With all of this in mind, what can retailers do to ensure

especially with so much uncertainty and disruption still

warehouses are staffed properly, that critical tasks are

looming over the retail and supply chain industry. Based

executed properly, and that warehouse employees are

on what we know about last year’s holiday season, and

engaged with their work?

based on future projections for omnichannel demand, warehouse operators should expect another extremely busy and hectic season, as customers try to get

Streamline warehouse operations with intelligent

everything they need.

solutions

With people using omnichannel services at such high

There are three ways you can ensure your warehouses

volumes, it’s becoming more difficult to adequately

are ready for the holiday season:

prepare for the holiday season. So, what happens to warehouses and distribution centres when retailers are

1. Create More Accurate Labour Forecasts and

unprepared?

Schedules Intelligent workforce management solutions tap into ar-

1. Inadequate Staffing

tificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to help you create the

When retailers rely on manual scheduling processes, and

most accurate budgets, forecasts, and schedules possi-

don’t have the ability to precisely forecast how much

ble for your warehouses. These solutions account for the

labour they need, mismatches between scheduled

variables that matter most: product demand, customer

labour and warehouse workload are more likely to occur.

traffic, seasonality, employee preferences, and more.

2. Inconsistent Execution

They automate the scheduling process, creating op-

Without the right amount of warehouse employees on

timised schedules in a matter of minutes instead of

the clock at any given time, tasks are more likely to go

burdening your managers with the hours-long process

incomplete. In turn, customer orders may not get packed

of manually drawing up (less effective) schedules.

and out the door on time, frustrating customers who expect their orders to be ready when promised.

3. Low Employee Morale and Engagement When warehouse employees aren’t scheduled properly, it’s likely that many will begin to feel overworked and frustrated. This leads to lower employee morale and decreased productivity. Considering the high demand for warehouse employees, some may even quit their jobs and look for employment elsewhere.

P 08

DEC ‘21

2. Make Execution Easier for Your Employees

3. Empower Employees to Collaborate in Real Time

Real-time task management solutions provide a

about Everything Work Related

360-degree, real-time view of all work to be

Real-time communication solutions enable you to

accomplished in your warehouses. Installed on the

centralise all messaging flowing to and from your

mobile devices your employees have in their hands (or

warehouse employees, making it simple for all parties

on their arms) all day long, these incredibly powerful

to communicate about any pending tasks, new policies,

tools automatically gather tasks coming in from

or other critical information. Warehouse employees can

corporate, onsite staff, other Internet of Things (IoT)

easily contact one another if they need to follow up on

devices, and third-party systems, and prioritise them

anything, a benefit that increases task completion rates

before intelligently funnelling them to the right

and decreases the time it takes to complete important

warehouse employee. This avoids overloading any one

tasks.

employee with tasks by optimising the workflow used to distribute tasks, ensuring assignments are given evenly

Employee self-service solutions on mobile devices also

and equitably across warehouse staff.

help solve this issue by giving workers a way to check their schedules, adjust availability, and request leave

By ensuring that most impactful tasks are completed

whenever they want – from wherever they want.

properly and on time, you can minimise the risk of

Find out how Zebra’s intelligent warehouse solutions

fulfillment delays and frustrated customers.

can ensure your staff are ready for the holiday season.

Mentor (noun): “Someone who is an experienced and trusted adviser that provides wise counsel and guidance. Willing to spend their time and expertise to guide the development of another.”

– an accurate description of my mentor Mr. Abdul Zaffar. Big thanks to SCLAA for giving me an opportunity to work in the Supply Chain field and further hone my skills – Mallaiyaraj.M

P 09

DEC ‘21

Continuous Improvement Tips for Business 1. Mindset Matters: You need more than the right tools to see sustained change

Taking a strategic approachto improvement projects will

There are a number of systematic Continuous

your business without exhausting all your valuable

Improvement tools that enable you to optimise your

resources at once. A strategic approach requires you to

business, but unless you target behaviour change, and

cherry pick improvements that give you the highest

the intangible levels of change that influence behaviours,

benefit, at the lowest cost, with the least level of difficulty.

you will not see long-term sustained change from your

therefore ensure that you create the highest impact on

improvement efforts. This involves not only improving

3. Quick wins will gain you momentum

the knowledge and capability of your workforce, but also

Gain team motivation by initiating improvements that

includes addressing those ‘invisible’ factors that influence

have an immediate benefit and can be executed quickly

behaviours and the adoption of change - namely, values

and easily first. Some improvements do not need a project

and beliefs, identity and purpose, that together, form

management approach (such as DMAIC). These are JDI

culture and mindset. When people understand the ‘why’,

opportunities, famously coined by NIKE’s slogan - Just Do

they become more committed to changing their

It! Making a leadership decision to prioritise JDI’s in an

behaviour, which allows for tools to be incorporated

organisational culture that is vulnerable to change, is the

seamlessly. But without a change in the culture, mindset

best way to generate momentum and encourage team

and behaviours across your organisation, improvement

and executive-level support. A simple approach to

efforts will not have any long-term or sustained practical

identifying these is to use a 2×2 matrix, with each potential

implications.

project mapped against benefit vs effort or cost, allowing you to visually identify the projects that may be potential

2. A complex analysis requires a strategic approach

senior and middle managers, successful adoption of

Whilst complex analysis tools are utilised to understand

the organisation is a difficult task to achieve. quick wins.

the current state of fragmented processes, you should take

Acknowledging and recognising your team in accomplish-

a strategic approach to solving these problems. Your ideal

ing these will also create foundations to tackle the larger

future state will always have a list of opportunities for it to

more complex problems for that desired future state.

Continuous Improvement tools and methodologies across

become a reality, however, no business, regardless of size or sector, has endless supply of time, money and resources to solve a problem and pursue perfection.

VATIVE 5 STEP CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIC DEPLOYMENT Decreased costs & increased profitability Reduced project lead times Continuous Improvement mindset & culture Better engaged teams, improved team morale & respect More skilled & confident team members Increased clarity & alignment of communication Delivering realistic minimum 300% ROI Access to Federal and State wage subsidies

.com.au P 10

Start Your Journey Book a Complimentary Discovery Meeting 1300VATIVE

DEC ‘21

4. Engage senior leadership for Executive Alignment

This can include a Certificate towards their credentials,

Top-down approaches are even more important than

Qualifications and International Certification.

bottom-up, when it comes to Continuous Improvement

Recognising, rewarding and celebrating your team’s

implementation. Key leadership engagement is

achievements will put you in a position of sustaining

necessary to align values and behaviours that drive the

Continuous Improvement – people need to feel valued if

organisational culture towards true north. This involves the

you expect them to follow your vision.

executive team playing an active role in participating in the

from participation Certificates to Australian Recognised

Improvement projects, rather than assigning and

7. Leverage technology for Continuous Improvement

delegating to lower management levels. To engage senior

The full potential of Continuous Improvement will only

leaders, you must speak in the language of leadership

be experienced in an organisation when you leverage the

which means developing clear links to strategic objectives

appropriate Technology. Technology systems allow

and measurable ROI. Without the engagement of senior

improvement projects to be significantly enhanced at

and middle managers, successful adoption of Continuous

both micro and macro levels, impacting upon your bottom

Improvement tools and methodologies across the

line. IoT devices allow flexible monitoring and reporting

organisation is a difficult task to achieve.

of machine and operator performance. This enables quick

strategy, planning, and implementation of Continuous

diagnostic capability, based on real-time data on

5. Your people come first

productivity, machine downtime, changeover, cycle times,

Without people a process will fail. Continuous

defect counts, and Overall Equipment Effectiveness,

Improvement is a collaborative effort, where people form

allowing you to pin point strategic deployment of

the core of the project - from identifying the voice of the

Continuous Improvement methodologies.

customer, defining a problem, brainstorming potential process improvements, and implementing solutions. It is not only essential to invest in improving their knowledge, capability and confidence through training, but a standardised Communication Plan is also necessary to align your team, establishing Continuous Improvement as a core part of your organisation’s goals and strategy planning. Consistent and seamless communication is key to achieving success with any change project, and is necessary for the sustainability of improvement efforts.

6. Recognition is key to success It is essential that you recognise and reward your team through Certification. A Certification process is important to not only demonstrate that your team successfully understands Continuous Improvement tools and methodologies, but is also integral for recognising team members efforts and engagement with the program. This is imperative because leadership recognition and tapping into the psyche of ‘what is in it for me’ is critical to the success of your strategy. It provides your team members with personal recognition of their individual capability to achieve throughout their career, outside of the business’ Continuous Improvement success.

P 11

DEC ‘21

Case Study BLUM AUSTRALIA

Furniture fitting specialist Blum builds futureproof warehouse with expanded Swisslog automation Custom furniture fitting specialist, Blum, has consolidated its Australian distribution into one warehouse with a Swisslog automation solution designed for operational efficiency, reliability and optimum storage utilisation.

Blum is renowned for its high quality fittings and soft close mechanism found in many major furniture brands. The company’s successful business model has achieved strong growth in Australia, so a new warehouse was required to simultaneously satisfy current logistical requirements and facilitate growth into the future.

Blum is already mature and experienced with warehouse automation, having built several successful facilities in Europe.

Swisslog worked alongside Blum to actively contribute to the design process of the new site and refine its layout to best achieve Blum’s goals.

The new warehouse, including 32m tall clad racking, is situated in Hoxton Park NSW, and was first built in 2010. Since then, additional Vectura stacker cranes and software upgrades have been added progressively, so that Blum could continuously expand to meet growing customer demand.

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DEC ‘21

Vectura Crane technology delivers reliability, storage capacity, and potential for expansion After identifying Blum’s need for a high-density automated warehouse that could easily be expanded in the future, an ideal solution was proposed, incorporating Swisslog’s Automatic Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) Vectura crane technology, pallet cranes, ProMove conveyors, pick stations, and intelligent SynQ Warehouse Management System (WMS) software.

Blum Managing Director, Brett Ambrose, says Swisslog’s Vectura pallet crane technology was the natural fit for Blum, due to it providing the required storage density within a reduced footprint. “The flexibility of the solution allowed for future expansion as we were able to add an additional two cranes after initial installation, due to business growth. The second phase of this project was planned to go live in 10 months, but Swisslog was able to do this in just three months, with minimal disruption to warehouse operations.”

“The goal for Blum was to consolidate our existing warehouse distribution whilst achieving operational gains. We chose Swisslog due to the trust in the brand and team to work as our partner to meet our automation needs,” he said.

Swisslog Head of Customer Service, Australia and New Zealand, Mr Franz Wiebe, says the system was designed from the outset to meet Blum’s growth requirements. “When we initially installed three Vectura cranes, we achieved over 9,000 pallet locations. As demand continued to grow for Blum’s high-tech intuitive furniture fitting mechanisms, Blum and Swisslog worked together once more to further expand the automated warehouse. The new expansion extended the warehouse to over 15,000 pallet locations.”

“Swisslog worked collaboratively with Blum to ensure they had confidence in our solution and that their requirements were met. Ergonomic pick stations were designed to pick from product pallet to order pallet, handle quantity picking, and allow for negative picking to take place. Weighing scales have been integrated to validate the pick accuracy of these stations.”

P 13

DEC ‘21

A “perfected motion” solution Blum’s furniture fittings and advanced opening and closing mechanisms are all aimed at “perfecting motion”, which is a concept Swisslog took to heart when designing the layout and structure of the warehouse. The warehouse looks after the storage, management, and distribution of Blum’s products on-site in an efficient system that delivers 100% accuracy.

Franz Wiebe says that “most importantly, Blum and its customers benefit from the extended automated facility in a number of ways, including 100% inventory accuracy, full order delivery, and increased capacity. This provides Blum with the ability to exceed customer expectations.”

Intuitive SynQ software optimises material flow To enable the latest Swisslog technologies to deliver their full potential gains to Blum’s operations, Swisslog’s intelligent SynQ WMS software was deployed to manage the process from start to finish.

The intuitive user interface is simple to follow for all users, enabling increased pick efficiencies and allowing for new employees to be trained quickly.

“SynQ constantly monitors the whole process, to ensure the most efficient methods are being adopted for storage, despatch, order sequencing, pallet movement, material flow and truck loading,” says Mr Wiebe.

SynQ’s AutomationManager function displays outfeed pallet information on a user-friendly interface so that Blum’s warehouse workers can quickly and easily see all the information they need about any product or order.

SynQ’s Single Point of Control (SPOC) provides standard, easy-to-use screens across the platform, so operators and managers have a familiar and consistent way to interact with the system across operations, and across a broad range of devices.

Energy-efficient cranes delivered ahead of schedule The second phase of Blum’s warehouse expansion plans involved adding two additional Vectura cranes to extend pallet locations from 9,000 to 15,000. It was originally scheduled for 2022, but due to higher than anticipated customer demand, installation commenced five years earlier and was completed over just three months in 2017.

“This brownfield modernisation further increased efficiency, storage capacity and inventory control at the Blum site. This high-quality system provides reliability, requires less maintenance, and has an energy-efficient design to optimise Blum’s energy consumption,” said Mr Wiebe.

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DEC ‘21

Swisslog’s Vectura cranes have a lighter crane weight with a sturdy single mast design that allows them to operate with a 20% lower energy consumption compared with traditional cranes, providing an additional cost saving, and contributing to Blum’s sustainability goals. Additionally, all cranes were factory commissioned before being delivered to Blum, which reduced installation time on-site.

“With decades of experience in pallet crane technology, Swisslog factory commissioned all cranes before shipping them to Blum, to prove their reliability in service. Each crane can accommodate different pallet heights and completes 32 double cycles per hour to optimise warehouse efficiencies.”

Mr Ambrose was impressed with Swisslog’s global credentials and collaborative approach to finding the right solution for Blum. “Swisslog secured the project against strong competition. Their teamwork stood them apart from other providers, along with their ability to demonstrate strength in depth both locally and internationally.

Swisslog has many years of reliable pallet experience, so we trusted their technology. Since installation, productivity has increased, with efficiency and throughput optimised,” he said.

Facts and Figures Storage

Material Handling

WMS & Controls

–

32m tal clad rack warehouse

–

9,462 pallet locations

–

3 pallet cranes 29m tall

–

38 double cycles per hour

–

2 goods-to-person ergonomic picking stations

–

Shuttle car

–

Pallet conveyor system

–

WarehouseManager ™

–

AutomationManager ™

–

Swisslog SPOC

Benefits •

Allowed for the consolidation of all distribution in Australia to one site

•

Allowed operations to continue running efficiently, even with a reduced on-site workforce

•

Modular with the ability for continued expansion with changing growth demands

•

Increased safety and iproved pick efficiencies

•

High storage capacity and improved inventory control

•

A tailored solution to meet customer’s requirements

•

Using advanced technology to optimise efficiency and throughput

•

Single mast to increase energy efficiency

•

Supported by a local field service team

P 15

DEC ‘21

SCLAA WELCOMES NEW NATIONAL PARTNER

Australian Customs Clearance (3D Logistics Pty Ltd) is a Contract Licensed Customs Brokerage and Consulting specialist, delivering excellence in duty minimisation and compliance within cross border supply chains. We are also Fully DAWE (Quarantine) AEP Accredited.

Unlike most Customs Brokerages in Australia, Australian Customs Clearance (ACC) does not freight forward, rather they concentrate on providing their specialist services to those companies who ship via Australia Post or who choose to ship directly with shipping lines or purchase goods on freight prepaid terms.

Clearances can be booked online at www.aucustomsclearance.com.au or you can have an account specialist assigned with integrations to your propriety supply software created.

Similarly, 3DL the parent company to ACC offers their services to Freight forwarders without corporate licenses and other corporate brokerages in times of high volumes or leave on a wholesale basis.

We are a 100% Australian 3rd generation, Family owned and operated business, and the only Brokerage of our kind to have been awarded Australian Trusted Trader (ATT) Service Provider Status. Subscribe to our Complimentary Weekly Cross Border Industry updates here.

Through clever automations and technologies, our model allows us to integrate with our clients for seamless border clearance functions and outcomes. These clever and ever improving systems provide our clients real time and transparent clearance outcomes and administrational savings, all the while providing an extra layer of commercial confidence in a modern trading world.

Should you and your teams be looking for a Customs Broker, not famous for Freight forwarding, reach out to the Australian Customs Clearance and 3DL teams for your tailored solutions. Australian Customs Clearance is pleased to offer a 10% discount to SCLAA members of clearance base rates. Simply mention this offer.

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P 16

10% off professional fees for SCLAA members

Australian Customs Clearance – Powered by 3DL corporate brokers licences number 01955C

DEC ‘21

Straight Talk from David Doherty OAM David Doherty OAM is a past Preseident and Life Member of the SCLAA and a highly regarded logistican. Send your Straight Talk feedback and comments to davidoh1@optusnet.com.au At last, the end of a year that has caused terrible

The most flack and difficulties I encountered in my long

disruption in every facet of life. Australia may have fared

experience in Supply Chain and Logistics was

better than many overseas countries but our

undoubtedly my very early and amateurish attempts to

communities have been decimated by lockdowns and

implement cross functional teams. The powerful silos of

related deprivation of liberties.

the time fought determinedly to avoid giving up any of their fiefdom’s authorities.

The arbitrary destruction of the source of income is horrendous. I am distraught about the impact on true

So, the battle lines were drawn. The silo Managers were

Aussie battlers. Kids, Parents, grandparents, all suffered

certain that individual control of their function was the

beyond their capacity to maintain any semblance of

path to success.

hope.

Over time we eventually learned together that Our governments in many respects have been found

functional (silo) excellence was a very useful starting

wanting. However, politicians and bureaucrats did not

point but did not necessarily deliver overall supply

have appropriate experience to call on in dealing with a

chain excellence. Our aim became to educate and train

pandemic. We were all in the dark together!

people to understand that seamless flow along supply chains necessitated contribution and collaboration from

Supply Chains are under siege with logisticians

all ”the silos” with a unified vision. Internal collaboration

struggling to meet customer expectations for the

assumed primary importance as a pathway to eventual

coming Christmas season.

external collaboration. The end consumer/ customer became the key consideration. Responsibilities did not

Australians in history have demonstrated amazing

end at the silo gateways. Every silo needed to focus on

resilience in past crises. Can we accept the challenge

pursuing their individual excellence as a contributing

this time so that families can focus on a future with

facet of the o0verall shared supply chains vision.

good prospects?

Excellence in any form is to be admired. Functional Legitimate peaceful protests must be supported.

excellence as a genuine collaborative contribution to

Violent unprincipled mobs are to be deplored.

the end-to-end supply chains is a key success factor.

The major political parties leave me despairing.

Destroying the idea of separate silo excellence is not

Government by Press Conference, rather than

the best action. Molding and training silo

presenting principled future based policies aimed at

constituents to invest in the total supply chains

genuinely improving life for all our communities.

objectives is the best way.

although it cannot do any harm for those so inclined.

In pursuing real supply chains and collaborative It is a time for every member of all Governments to

partnerships training and education will be valuable

compromise and collaborate to ensure we emerge

when the following sequence is adhered to. Me, us,

from the catastrophic pandemic with real hope and a

them, theirs, us.

sense of well-being.

Train yourself, train the relevant people in your The best Supply Chains have demonstrated that it can

organization, train the key external partner, train people

be valuable to collaborate with competitors to get the

in the partner organization, then all together as a team.

best outcome. Collaborate where you can and compete where you have/need to is a mantra worth adopting by

Seamless flows are attracting a lot of attention with

political parties.

recent global logistics disruptions. Just in time is often

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becoming just too late!

Time to go back to basics in every element of our supply chains.

Enough ranting for now. Too all those people and organizations who have endured trauma because of the pandemic, I sincerely hope you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is not a train coming! It is the vehicle bringing hope and

Invitation to Participate in NABERS Benchmark Survey

courage for a beneficial future.

I wish all Supply Chain and Logistics people a Merry Christmas and a prosperous/ healthy/ joyous 2022.

We invite members to assist with data collection to create a benchmark for the sector and you have one or two facilities, please click on these survey forms to provide information. If you have a portfolio of facilities please contact NABERS and they can send you an excel sheet for ease of data collection.

I also wish governments and politicians around the world the gift of courage to honestly tackle well being issues for all communities regardless of race, religion, or status.

Warehouse Data Survey

Do not forget the National Awards in March 2022.!

“Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here, this is the War

Cold Stores Data Survey

Room” (Dr Strangelove) Namaste David Doherty OAM

Surveys close 24 December 2021

davidoh1@optusnet.com.au

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DEC ‘21

QLD President Report Dec ‘21 As 2021 comes to a close, it is a timely time to reflect on the year, and look forward to 2022, noting the ongoing challenges we have had over the past two years with COVID. Looking back, it is appropriate to review and acknowledge our achievements during a global pandemic. The pandemic, has continued to ensure we come up with alternate ways to connect with our membership base, to ensure we, as an association provide value, even as most of us have now adopted a hybrid model of working from home and the office. For some there has been no change. If you drive a truck, then you probably have been busier than pre-pandemic.

From a Queensland perspective, we have been fortunate that we could organise and attend face to face networking events during the year. They have been well attended and our networking events form the core of what we offer to our members. We also had a great site visit to EB Games, which was well received. Thank you to Matt Guthrie for organising. By the time you read this article we would have already attended our Golf Day / Christmas party at Top Golf, sponsored by Western Union. Our last event is the annual Christmas Hamper packing event, supporting Foodbank and those in need. Both events have been well subscribed, and it highlights our members are keen to connect in person. I continue to invite and encourage you all to attend our events, bringing new ideas and perspectives whilst learning from our highly valued and experienced existing membership.

As I look forward to 2022 with positivity and anticipation, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our growing family of members, the giving and intellect of our Queensland committee, our industry partners and corporate sponsors. Without each of your contributions, we would not be recognising the achievements of 2021 or have a healthy platform to start from for next year.

Finally, on behalf of the Queensland committee, I would like to you wish you, your families and your colleagues a safe, restful, COVID free and thoroughly enjoyable Christmas and New Year and look forward to working with and for you in 2022.

Cheers George

QLD Top Golf Event November 25th was the rainy Thursday afternoon with a group of logistics professionals meeting to hit microchipped golf balls into multiple targets at the Gold Coast. Top Golf was the location (next to Movie World) with a great opportunity to network while hitting the stresses of 2021 into the outfield. The afternoon was enjoyed by all attendees and special thanks to our sponsor Western Union Business Solutions and Nick Worthington.

A great tour of the new Metcash Distribution Centre during the last week of November. We had more than 20 guests come and

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SA/NT President Report Dec ‘21 Well that is 2021 done and dusted.

A great tour of the new Metcash Distribution Centre during the last week of November. We had more than 20 guests come and visit the site and listen to Shane Wisman who is Metcash’s State Logistics and Operations Manager. He shared with us the journey that they went on to define, design and build this new and amazing facility. We heard how they are applying technology to safety and people management to ensure employees and stakeholders alike remain informed and aware of how to remain safe and well in a warehouse environment. He spoke of the challenges they faced to move site and how the team stepped up to do it just weeks before Christmas and with no disruption to customers, despite moving thousands and thousands of pallets across a single weekend. Great company story.

Paula Kerkman was our guest speaker talking about behaviour, cognitive processes and how the brain can trick us into actions and behaviours that are not ideal when we want to stay safe. Then we had Metcash’s own Environment, Health and Safety Manager Neil Henschke speak about wearable devices that are helping monitor and track the ergonomic movement of employees, providing insights that enable people to reduce the risk of injury and identify types of movement that can bring elevated risks to employees.

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SA/NT President Report Dec ‘21 cont.

So let’s wrap up 2021.

What an amazing and rewarding year for SA/NT as we set about rebuilding the association here. We had set the rebuild ambition to do quarterly networking and quarterly events or tours and we succeeded. The new agenda and diverse committee was instrumental in growing our membership more than 6-fold where we started from at the end of 2020.

Amanda Cech our state director has been working with the board to help rebrand the SCLAA and bring new tools and materials to our members, helping us make our content and communications more effective and contemporary.

2022 is set to bring more new initiatives that should continue to excite our members, including a new website. Be sure to check that out.

I would like to thank many people for our collective success this year: •

Amanda Cech for working with me on growing the association, during a time where Covid and uncertainty was a constant head wind.

•

Andrew Romano for his support as our new Treasurer.

•

Li Meng and Mohsen Varsei, Ethan Nikookar for their linkages to the University of South Australia and to the Australian Institute of Business respectively. We have started to develop synergies that are allowing our members to get involved in guest lectures, provide inputs to academic studies and as an association are providing an avenue for graduates to get connected to industry and leaders as they start their search for work.

•

I want to thank the committee for support in coordination of all our events in 2021, especially Michelle Faulkner who went over and above with her support across several events.

•

A special thank you to Jordan Gansen and Paula Kerkman, for acting as guest speakers during a few events this year. Jordan providing some great insights to the challenges we see globally with transport and Paula who shared twice on Digital Safety and Behavioural Management, as it relates to safety.

I would also like to thank the following people for providing us access to visit their sites: •

Andrew Naffin – for our tour of Schneider Electric.

•

Craig Smithson – for our tour of Coca Cola.

•

Shane Wisman - for our tour of Metcash Distribution Centre.

•

Li Meng for the opportunity to do guest lectures at the University of South Australia.

•

Mohsen Varsei and Ethan Nikookar – for their connection to the World Economic Forum studies and the emerging field of research in anti-fragility.

What we will do in 2022 – the year ahead: For 2022, we again plan for quarterly site tours and networking events. We are planning tours of Viterra grain management, Drakes new distribution centre and Redarc manufacturing, to name a few.

There will be more rich networking opportunities and the ability for some members to get involved across university with guest lectures, creation of industry case studies for coursework and then there will be SCLAA mentoring programs and guest speaker opportunities.

Stay tuned and get on board with a new membership for 2022, as we are going to have another great and insightful year.

From the committee in SA/NT, we want to wish you all a very merry and safe Christmas period. No matter your background or beliefs, take some well-earned time out to be with family and friends. Enjoy the wonderful food and places that SA has to offer and we look forward to seeing you again in the new year.

Sincerely, Brett McGowran

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SCLAA President for SA/NT and the SCLAA SA/NT team.

DEC ‘21

VIC President Report Dec ‘21 With Victoria reaching record numbers with its vaccination rate, we hope that everyone gets to finally celebrate this festive season with their family and friends. As we all went through another challenging year, 2021 has taught us so many things mainly resilience and the power in being optimistic. Despite of all the challenges that we faced throughout the year, we at SCLAA are very pleased of our achievements and looking forward to welcoming 2022!

Some key highlights for 2021, we started the year with a webinar on International Trade which was very well received.

Soon after that we had some luck in organizing a networking night where we had tremendous response from the industry and was a sell-out in few days after the registrations were opened. Mentoring program is growing year-onyear and without a doubt this year has been the biggest in terms of the applications received and we are extremely pleased with the results. In addition to the above, we were able to continue our initiative in bringing some great Women In Supply Chain stories through our ‘Her Stories’ series.

Thankfully with further ease of restrictions, we were able to organize year end celebrations and connect all the participants from mentoring program on 1st December at Royal Saxon Hotel. This will be our final event for 2021 and we are working on making 2022 an eventful year by bringing back our renowned site tours and more in person events.

For the first time in SCLAA history, Melbourne has been selected for hosting the most prestigious industry awards – Australian Supply Chain and Logistics awards 60th Anniversary which is being celebrated on 18th March 2022. So, whether you are attending as part of the awards celebration or to make new connections we are pleased to be hosting this year’s awards at Australia’s premier ballroom, the Palladium at Crown.

We sincerely hope to be seeing you all at the awards or at any other SCLAA events as we have lot of exciting plans for 2022. Until then, stay safe and look after each other, we wish you all a very happy Christmas and a wonderful new year.

Would you like to make a difference?

If you are a SCLAA member in Victoria or Tasmania and would like to influence and shape our organisation and industry I would encourage you to nominate for a position on the SCLAA Victorian & Tasmanian subcommittee for 2022. Nominations are now open and if you are passionate about Supply Chain and would like to make a difference by being part of a subcommittee contact myself for further information. rakesh.bandipelli@sclaa.com.au Rakesh Bandipelli President – VIC/TAS

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1300 364 160 secretary@sclaa.com.au sclaa.com.au

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