UNITRANS  LENDS A HAND WITH PROJECT FIRESTORM

When, just before winter this year, a fire broke out at the strategically important Huletts Refinery near Durban, Unitrans Sugar and Agriculture quickly responded with assistance, in an effort to ease the disruption to their parent customer, Tongaat-Hulett Sugar. The fire halted sugar refining and packing for 3 weeks, following which, a logistics contingency plan designed by Mano Moodley and Zyven Rambackus of Hulref was implemented. The plan required significant levels of operational flexibility and cooperation from a number of Unitrans depots. In the forefront of this plan for Unitrans were Wayne Holmes, the company’s North Coast Depot Manager, and many of his key Tongaat-based control personnel. Sooruj Sewnarain, the manager of Unitrans’ Hulref depot, also came to the fore with invaluable assistance.

The bold initiative, dubbed Project Firestorm, also required the cooperation of other role players under the overall direction of Hulett Refinery Operations Manager, Rammy Govender. They included the South African Sugar Terminal (SAST) at Maydon Wharf, which became a key raw sugar staging area due to the refinery’s sugar storage bins, key warehouse space and rail receiving facilities being rendered inoperable by the fire. To achieve success, Project Firestorm was forced to be capable of functioning as a true JIT (Just in Time) logistics operation.

Rammy Govender has heartily expressed his appreciation to the JIT role players: “During the fire and during the reinstatement, Unitrans’ role was the provision of tankers and they did exceptionally well. The real top drawer performance, however, was their flexibility to be able to put in place a JIT sugar movement system from the SAST sugar terminal and our North Coast sugar mills, to our newly reinstated refinery facilities. It required a lot of flexibility from Unitrans, as well as bringing on more resources to make that happen. They are highly customer focused and they went very quickly into problem solving mode.”

To supplement the plan, additional sugar was transported by another logistics supplier from the mills at Sezela and Eston, and this had to be integrated with the flow of sugar in Unitrans vehicles from SAST and the Darnall and Maidstone mills. Thirty-two thousand tons of sugar was transported by Unitrans from SAST during Project Firestorm, this over and above the regular sugar haulage from the Darnall and Maidstone mills. A goal had been set for sufficient sugar supply to the reinstated refinery, to enable a sugar melt of 85 tons per hour. By determination, effort and team-work, this goal was exceeded with an average of 91 tons per hour achieved.

Worthy of mention are those dedicated Unitrans personnel from the North Coast Depots who kept the wheels rolling around the clock! They include: Assistant Depot Manager, Reshaab Sirkar and Fleet Controllers, Raj Maikoo, Loga Naidoo, Raymond Kisten and Daddy Narainsamy. Hats off to the drivers of the various vehicles involved in the operation.

Unitrans Depot Manager Wayne Holmes, in charge of the Maidstone and Darnall depots whose staff were a key a key element 24/7 in the JIT (Just in Time) logistics scheme known as Project Firestorm on behalf of Hulett Refinery near Durban.

Sooruj Sewnarian, who manages the Unitrans depot at Hulett Refinery, was on the scene to assist during Project Firestorm.  Sewnarian and his depot team operate an award-winning Unitrans sugar distribution service from the refinery for Tongaat-Hulett Sugar.

 

Unitrans North Coast Sugar Tanker Driver V. Kandasamy who participated in the logistical assistance plan which supplied raw sugar to Huletts Refinery following the fire. Other key North Coast role players not shown include Fleet Controllers Daddy Narainsamy, Raj Maikoo, Raymond Kisten and Loga Naidoo as well as Driver Trainer Petey Naidoo.