From Anthony Nwachukwu, Lagos
Consistent with its ambition of becoming a world-class terminal, Nigeria’s giant port handler, APM Terminals Apapa, said the facility has witnessed a “remarkable transformation” in the past 15 years.
The company also said it would this year continue investment in its people, complete ongoing facility upgrade, strengthen its capabilities and raise its level of engagement with stakeholders.
These measures are geared towards making the firm to “lead the container terminal industry forward by continuously improving and transforming the rules of the game,”
The Country Manager of APM Terminals, Klaus Laursen, who reviewed investments in the terminal and its operations so far, remarked that “over the past few years, APM Terminals Apapa has been on a remarkable transformation journey.
“In APM Terminals, we have led with a strong ambition – to become a world-class terminal operator. We enable access to the jobs, products, foods and medicine that allow to create and live a better life.”
According to him, “here in APM Terminals Apapa, it is not just about moving boxes around. We are a heartbeat for the Nigerian local society; we create value for our customers and do our best to ensure that our people are here because they want to be here.
““However, it is a process with many elements that require prioritisation and time to mature and make sustainable changes.”
On that basis, the Terminal Manager, APM Terminals Apapa, Steen Knudsen, explained that “now – more than ever – global trade needs efficient port operations and integrated solutions.
“We started a new and exciting journey in Apapa last year – a significant amount of new equipment was deployed; we are improving our facilities and have kicked off a significant training plan for all employees across functions and levels. This journey is our transformation to international standards.
“It is important that we embrace the transformation and accept that it is a multi-year journey, which is closely linked to our values as a company and our primary objective to create value for the Nigerian economy. Transformation will offer all of us exciting new challenges, which we can all learn and grow from.”
According to him, the ongoing implementation of APM Terminals global initiatives provides a strong foundation to deliver consistent and repeatable standard processes to help drive the company’s strategy of becoming a world-class terminal operator, enhance seamless flow of operations and increase efficiency.
Therefore, “we have been putting a significant focus on employee-engagement, looking into different aspects of our workforce well-being at individual, team and community levels.
“The focus has been on encouragement of feedback culture development, team bonding, investment into people’s personal and professional development and grooming our leadership capabilities.”
The largest container terminal in Nigeria, APM Terminals Apapa has invested over $438 million in equipment, facilities and other elements of its operations in the last 15 years.
It continues to introduce innovations to help both shipping lines and landside customers achieve a cost-effective improvement in supply chain efficiency and flexibility.
