Managing a supply chain is complex. With shipping delays still causing significant issues, it takes a cool head to manage the day-to-day challenges. Alex Coleman is the man for Liebherr Mobile Cranes.
Having studied Economics at university and majored in Supply Chain Management, Alex joined Liebherr on an internship two years ago. It was meant to be for six months, but seeing the difference Alex was making to the business, Liebherr’s General Manager Mobile Cranes, Andrew Esquilant, quickly decided to make the position permanent. Alex takes up the story.
“Because we had such a large quantity of machines coming into the country, Andrew recognised the need for someone to manage the transport, logistics and shipping elements of the business. 2020, 2021 and 2022 saw significant delays due to the COVID-caused shipping congestion issues all around the world, and with these issues now easing Andrew wanted our supply chain to be as streamlined as possible,”
said Alex.
He goes on to explain what the role entails on a day to day basis and how Liebherr and its customers benefit.
“Basically, I track where everything is, every single day. I know when a crane is about to leave the factory and when it does, I know where it is from that point on. This enables me to confidently advise the sales team about how the crane’s shipping journey is progessing, and they relay this information to their clients which enables them to better plan for the arrival of the crane,” said Alex.
“I also work closely with our Customs Brokers to see how we can lower our overall costs of importing machines and what are the best ways to do this. I liaise with the Port Authorities on how we can effectively move our machines off the port as well.
“The last 12 months has seen a transition to our new Custom Brokers, and we have also implemented new transport partners to ensure we are dealing with the right service providers most experienced to handle our machines. Obviously, they are expensive pieces of equipment and we want them to be in the best hands as possible at all times,” he said.
When a crane leaves the German factory and is loaded onto the ship, all the relevant documentation is sent to Alex. He forwards this paperwork to the Customs Brokers and to government authorities including quarantine officials.
“From that point it’s about engaging our transport partners. If it’s a larger crane we are engaging with the port to ensure we have right crane teams onsite when the crane arrives. We try to ensure our customers have a say in how the larger cranes are handled when they arrive at the port. If a customer has bought a really large crawler or all terrain, we’ll make sure they’re engaged to see if they want to manage the cranage. The whole process is designed to ensure the new crane is delivered to one of our facilities in perfect condition,” said Alex.
Alex explains how he works in with Liebherr spare parts team when required.
“There are occasions where I work with the spare parts team. Although they have their own system and a lot of their parts are containerised, there are scenarios where we work hand in hand. This has happened with the arrival of a crane where a large component has been shipped with it. The sales team also orders in large parts on behalf of customers who have bought a new crane and they get a project where additional boom sections might be needed, for example, or additional counterweights are required,” said Alex.
Alex goes on to discuss the challenges presented by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s (DAFF) strict quarantine rules.
“Over the past couple of years, we’ve had challenges bringing in refurbished machines and we’ve introduced a number of strategies recently to better comply with the regulations. We had a really good result recently in Queensland, where we bought in a large machine with over 50 line items. Only eight ended up requiring a re-clean, which was really positive.
“That is as a result of the reports and strategies we’ve developed as the Government and DAFF are increasingly putting more pressure on this side of the ledger. They are flagging for the smallest little bit of dirt and dust or anything like that around. So, we do have a pretty extensive cleaning regime occurring in Europe. We also have some really good cleaning suppliers here in Australia and we can mobilise them to make sure machines are quickly cleaned if there is an issue with DAFF,” said Alex.
Overall, Alex is happy with the feedback he is getting from customers.
“At the end of the day, customers now know they can call Liebherr and get a definite answer on when their crane is going to arrive. Customers enjoy the fact that Liebherr is actively working with the ports to bring these machines in and that they’re not left in the dark. I think customers enjoy seeing their machine in the factory, know how it’s tracking on the water as well and knowing when it arrives,” he said.