A busy period for Northern Stevedoring Services (NSS) is just about to get busier and that’s the way NSS Logistics Manager David Vass likes it.
David’s from a prominent Home Hill cane growing family and has the attitude that work is a lifestyle rather than something to fill in the time between school and retirement.
When the cane is growing you’re on deck one way or another and the cane is always growing.
Harvesting has started in the Burdekin and Mackay which means the bulk shed will start filling.
At the same time NSS is handling fertiliser shipments at an increasing rate on top of more regular consignments.
He likes the challenge of a growing business said David.
“I’ve always liked the planning side of my job, stevedoring as well as logistics, setting up these big projects,” he said.
“We did that steel shipment a few weeks back. Just planning and seeing the job from start to finish. You quote the job, so you’re involved in working out costs and budgets, timeframes, things like that.
“And then seeing the job through and then at the end, I guess seeing a profit from the job and seeing the customer’s also happy and the planning goes off without a hitch hopefully most times.
“Just overseeing jobs anywhere from container unpacks, right through to 3,300t shipments of steel (and) 23,000t shipments of coal … transfer and warehouse storage, transport, things like that.
“It’s a bit of a variety. I’ve got a good people to assist and help plan and see the day-to-day business run smoothly.
David has been associated with NSS for more than 25 years and said he had worked in a variety of positions from a casual who fixed containers through to team manager.
He still didn’t mind getting his hands dirty and in busy times contributed by driving forklifts, rigging and dogging loads and doing safety checks. Most times the team had it covered David said.
“The guys have been doing a really good job receiving the coke into the bulk shed. Everything’s looking really neat and tidy.
“They’ve been keeping up with the crane. There’s no downtime at the crane. The guys just ramp up. You just ask them to do the job and they just get it done.
“It’s just their job and they like doing it. So, they’ve got a good work ethic as well.”
The logistics team includes a dozen truck drivers, and a team of 15 in the warehouse, bulk shed and empty container depot.
