Making Work a Breeze at Windy Waterfront
Quarantine Inspector Jacqui Walls using
one of the new PDAs
MAF Biosecurity New Zealand (MAFBNZ) Quarantine Inspectors at main shipping ports are successfully incorporating new technology into their workday as they inspect imported vehicles.
The recently established use of PDAs (personal digital assistants) by MAFBNZ Cargo Clearance has made effective and practical change to the jobs of the inspectors and the systems used for portside clearance of vehicle imports.
The PDAs provide a direct link to the MAFBNZ Quarantine Quantum database, allowing Quarantine Inspectors to access and enter clearance information straight into the database in real time while out in the field.
Former frontline Quarantine Inspector, Ross Farnell, says the PDAs will help the inspectors to be able to spend more time in the field, and less time on paperwork and data entry. "If we can cut down on paperwork, we can get back to the important job – inspecting," he says.
According to Leanne Gibson, who was Acting General Manager of MAF Quarantine Service during the introduction of the PDAs, a more effective job done by Quarantine Inspectors means quicker clearance for car importers and their customers.
"This has significantly decreased the turn-around time for car clearances," she said in an address to the Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Federation last year.
While initially, PDAs were being used solely for recording data related to the clearance of used vehicles, Leanne said that the PDAs are the beginning of a more mobile future.
"The IT platform established will be adapted to other cargoes and similar applications within MAF Biosecurity New Zealand."
Business Project Manager for the implementation of the PDAs, Howard Hamilton, said commercial expectations of faster inspection and clearance were a factor in the introduction of the technology. "There are some imports, such as fresh produce or animals, where there is a sense of urgency. The PDAs are a mechanism to provide a better, faster information flow."
The new technology has also made the work of inspectors more practical for the outdoors. Quarantine Inspector Jacqui Walls said the PDAs have helped her and her colleagues to soldier on in less than favourable conditions at CentrePort Wellington. While in the past, inspectors had to struggle with outdoor paperwork at the often blustery port, this new palm-sized technology is far more weatherproof than paper worksheets.
"It meets the challenges of the Wellington weather," she says.
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Page last updated: 30 April 2008