EUROPE

Low wages delay automation in Poland

20 years ago

Robin MacLeod, technical director at DCT Gdansk in Poland, has told Port Strategy that terminal automation in Poland will only become an option when Polish wages increase substantially, or when it proves difficult to recruit sufficient labour of the right kind.

“Whether we introduce automation in Phase 2 or in subsequent phases will depend on whether Polish incomes appreciate against European norms, ” he explained, noting that the preferred strategy for doing so might take the form of pulling back manual operations inland, and having more automation on the quayside, and then “reversing it shorewards as time progresses and equipment comes up for replacement”.

However, he noted, the terminal operating system for the new terminal has been specified in such a way that, should automation be introduced in subsequent phases of development, it could be seamlessly integrated into it. “The IT simply has to take account of this, ” he explained. “The impact of automation on the TOS ought to be zero – if you get it right.”