APM Terminals (APMT) has announced the creation of a ‘lock arrester’ to ensure the safety of truck drivers in terminals.
The development of the lock arrester was reportedly prompted by a situation that was picked up earlier this year by Natarajan Swaminathan (Swami), Assistant Manager – Engineering at APM Terminals Mumbai.
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Swami stated that he: “Noticed that truck drivers were not safe. I could not shake the thought – how can we restrict the movement of the trailer lock so that it will remain in position and convince truckers that they have no reason to leave their vehicles.”
Therefore, Swami organised a ‘try storming’ – a LEAN-inspired working method which encourages learning and experimenting by doing, in a safe context.
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Swami explained: “Working with a small team, we found that a simple lock arrester kept the unlocked twist lock in place. When held in place with the lock arrester, the twist locks would not rotate, even if the trailer was empty or exposed to bumpy roads.
“We carried out rigorous testing with 100 per cent success rate. We had an expert pilot driver to simulate all eventualities and were able to demonstrate how it worked with the truck drivers.
“We gained the confidence of the trucking community, and the solution has since been implemented by 100 external trailers. The benefits are being felt not only by our terminal but throughout our operations.”
In April 2023, APMT Mumbai (Gateway Terminals India – GTI) resulted as the top-performing terminal in India for the 64th consecutive month.
