In the past 15-years of its existence in Nigeria, APM Terminals Apapa, one of the largest container terminals in West Africa, has been transforming rapidly into a world-class facility, Klaus Laursen, country manager of APM Terminals Apapa, has said.
Reviewing the performance of the terminals in 2021, Laursen said that the company has been on a remarkable transformation journey over the past few years.
According to Laursen, the transformation of APM Terminals Apapa aims to create an engaging work environment for all stakeholders even though, it is a process with many elements that require prioritisation, time to mature and sustainable changes.
APM Terminals, he said, has led with a strong ambition – to become a world-class terminal operator by enabling access to jobs, products, foods, and medicine that allow Nigerians to live a better life.
“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 we do our best to ensure that our people are here because they want to be here,” he said.
On his part, Steen Knudsen, the terminal manager of APM Terminals Apapa, said that global trade now needs efficient port operations and integrated solutions.
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Giving insight into the actions that have been transforming the terminal, he said, the terminal has deployed a significant amount of new equipment and is improving its facilities.
“We started a new and exciting journey in Apapa last year –and we 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. The transformation will offer all of us exciting new challenges, which we can all learn and grow from,” he explained.
Knudsen disclosed that the ongoing implementation of APM Terminals global initiatives provides a strong foundation to deliver consistent and repeatable standard processes to help drive the APM Terminals strategy of becoming a world-class terminal operator, enhance the seamless flow of operations, and increase efficiency.
“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,” Knudsen said.
In 2022, according to him, APM Terminals Apapa will continue to invest in its people, complete the ongoing facility upgrade, strengthen its capabilities and raise its level of engagement with stakeholders.
“We are here to lead the container terminal industry forward by continuously improving and transforming the rules of the game,” he said.
APM Terminals Apapa is the largest container terminal in Nigeria. With an investment of over $438 million in equipment, facilities, and other elements of its operations over the last 15 years, the terminal has continued to introduce new innovations to help both shipping lines and landside customers achieve improved supply chain efficiency and flexibility in a cost-effective manner.
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