The Viewpoint Supply Chain service has officially launched, announced by Napier Port, KiwiRail and the Central Economic Development Agency.

Eighteen months ago, Napier Port began testing customer demand for a North Island-focused supply chain service that offered a tailored approach to warehousing and logistics.

“Off the back of recent years’ supply chain disruptions, importers, exporters and freight forwarders had been telling us for a long time that their pain points were around efficiency, wasted time and cost, and lack of flexibility and responsiveness when moving cargo between distribution centres and ports,” said Napier Port CEO Todd Dawson.

“We set out to change that by matching the visibility Napier Port has over shipping logistics, such as the real time arrivals and departures of vessels, with timings for road and rail transport,” he said.

Jerry Shearman, Chief Executive of the Central Economic Development Agency (CEDA) based in Palmerston North, said CEDA’s primary goal is to deliver economic, social and environmental benefits for central New Zealand and Napier Port was a key partner in achieving this.

“Hawke’s Bay is a strong connector in the central region, underpinned by Napier Port’s depots and inland port in Manawatū and their strategic partnership with Te Utanganui, the multi-modal distribution network for imports and exports throughout central New Zealand and beyond.

“Viewpoint facilitates this connectivity and drives efficiencies in the supply chain, which also encourages sustainable connections between regions,” he said.

Dawson said, Viewpoint benefits customers and freight forwarders directly.

“But wider than that, the collaborations between key stakeholders in the North Island supply chain, such as KiwiRail and CEDA, shows how successfully ports and others can partner to benefit not just their immediate region, but ultimately NZ Inc,” he said.

“When you start working across regions, with other stakeholders who share the same social, economic and environmental goals you begin to deliver scale and a solid case study for rolling out a national infrastructure and transport network that will enable the smooth flow of domestic supplies, as well as import and export freight, which is essentially the backbone of our country”.

Viewpoint will be holding a series of regional roadshows to meet customers and suppliers:

Hawke’s Bay launch –Thursday 5 October, Napier Port, 10.30am-12.30pm

Palmerston North launch – Tuesday 17 October, 3.30pm-5.00pm

Gisborne launch – Wednesday 25 October, 3.30pm – 5.00pm

Whanganui launch – Wednesday 1 November, 3.30pm-5.00pm