Department of Basic Education

(DBE) Workbook Project

PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP PROVIDING A LIFE-LINE

FOR LEARNERS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Setting the sceneApprox 11 mil children of school going age in SA

DBE provides over 60 mil

workbooks to students in

foundation and intermediary

phase

The Lebone Litho Paarl Media Joint

Venture makes up the extensive printing

footprint to support this enormous

project

UTi Distribution is the largest and most

respected courier and logistics company

in South Africa

The scale of the operation

The scale of the operation

Project objective :

Each learner receives workbooks in the RIGHT Quantity and RIGHT Language for

all the RIGHT subjects, delivered to the RIGHT schools at the RIGHT time

“Quality education is supported by high quality learning and teaching support materials”

Angie Motshekga: Minister Basic Education

The scale of the operation 60 million workbooks in 11 languages

Two volumes of workbooks

per student per year – all

grades

GR R learners – Four

volumes per year

26 000 public schools

90 day print, pick, pack and

distribution cycle

35 day distribution cycle

The scale of the operation

Our Facility

Our Facility

Opening Act

Opening Act

• Started the project flying blind

• Lacked understanding of:

» Data constraints/ inaccuracies – geo codes

» Resource requirements and delivery branch constraints

» Tender - Terms of Reference (TOR) compliances

Threw money at itReputational risks – political playing field

Opening Act

UTi as sole service provider to the JV as supplier to the DBE, initially kicked off

implementation aligned to the 2012 “as is” workbook distribution process inheriting:

• 3 regional distribution centres – operated by Paarl Media

• Johannesburg (11 000m2), Durban (19 000m2), Cape Town (16 000m2)

• Receiving of all printed stock

• Repacking into appropriate packs

• Warehousing until time for distribution

• Picking and distribution

• Linehaul of picked loads

• Fine distribution to schools through national distribution network

TOR’s dictated that payment by DBE to the JV then UTi all dependant on the return and

external audit of original POD’s

Then we wised up…

Then we wised up…

Johannesburg (11 000m2),

Durban (19 000m2),

Cape Town (16 000m2)

One DC Alrode GP (30 000m2)

Then we wised up…

• Understand challenges

– 26 million books per cycle / per volume ( 2 cycles / Volumes per

year) GR R 4 million books (4 cycles / Volumes per year)

– Artwork design and approval and Print cycle - 55 days

– Pick, Pack & Distribution to 26 000 schools – 35 days

– Understanding of terrain – 67% of schools in rural areas

– School holidays / School operating hours to receive books – half a

delivery day

– Weather (flooding), strikes, unrest

– Migration of students

– Changes with schools

– Payment only on original POD’s – stringent compliance

parameters

Then we wised up…

• Planning based on geo, our built data – start with the end date in mind

• Core skill of printing & publishing agreed with JV partners

• Linear integer programming model applied

• How to make profit through optimisation and being within 35 day delivery cycle and

maintain/improve satisfaction of staff.

• Centralised DC model born to reduce cost, improve stock control and service

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CL D CL&D CL D CL&D CL D CL&D

FY13 actual FY14 actual FY15 budget

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Revenue

Profit

Where we are

Where we are – producing

a fine act - Centralised One DC model

Warehouse sourced, designed and solution implemented

1 : Received

3 : Put-Away

3 : Put-Away

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6 :

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8 : Dispatch

7 : Document Station

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Why a CentralisedAutomation Model

Why Centralised Automation Model?• End to End Centralized Management

o One Management Team

o One central point for reporting

• Improved Stock Control

o Opening Stock Count before Distribution

o Cycle Counts during Distribution

o Closing Stock Count after Distribution

o Multiple facility Stock Management on one WMS

• Increased Productivity and Throughput

o Specialized staff per function maximizing productivity and quality

o 710 Orders per day – 89 Orders per Hour

o 213 picking tasks - 5 400 packs per hour – 16 pickers

o Throughput of 43 200 packs per day

o Dependent on packing configuration it can reach 750 000 books per

day

o Dispatching of 10 x 18m Line Haul Vehicles per day – 9 hours

Outcomes and Responses

Outcomes and responses• Independently audited POD compliance by DBE auditors showed workbook deliveries to learners as:

• 2011 – Below 95% (Prior to UTi)

• 2012 – 98.4% (Year 1 – UTi)

• 2013 – 99.6% (Year 2 – UTi)

• 2014 – 99.6% (Year 3 – UTi)

• 2015 – 99.9% (Year 4 – UTi)

• Print Plans, Pick, Pack & Distribution plans per cycle are designed

and reported in Project Meetings for collaborative agreement and

signed off

• DBE

• Lebone Litho Printers

• Paarl Media

• UTi

• Project Delivery plans shared with JV Call Centre for school queries

– call centre operates in 11 languages

• All reporting by Official JV Projects Desk supported by all partners

Outcomes and responses• The Overall Workbook project receives regular audits by DBE, their External Auditors, Auditor General as

well as internal and external audits in both the printing and logistics industries.

• Prior to 2013 the CAPS Education curriculum DBE workbooks (2 Volumes per learner per year), learners

received their workbooks just in time for their academic school year

– Eg Volume 1 workbook – Jan to June (received by the prior December)

– Eg Volume 2 workbook – July to December (received by the prior month (June)

• All improvement processes brought about the learners receiving their workbooks 6 months in advance

since 2013, which has resulted in immense customer satisfaction

Outcomes

• Collaboration of trust built – Government, JV and UTi

• DBE National ANA Data taken over by UTi Data Management

team – improved data accuracy.

• 1st Distribution from DC and on client data - 0.88% of books

returned due to incorrect data

• 2nd Distribution on UTi managed data - 0.44%.

• This contributes to the correct books at the correct time.

• Due to the better service and delivery of correct books

schools have shown an increase in the use of workbooks and

this can also be seen in the growth of the required books

dispatched from V1 of 24 705 885 to V2 of 25 503 520

Outcomes

Learners have an aid to enhance their learning in their own language across

South Africa ensuring the country receives a quality education and a brighter

educated future

The total Workbook Project provides employment for 5600 people as well as

SMME’s being supported and developed

Employees have gained skills through developed training programmes in the

printing and publishing as well as the Distribution and Contract Logistics industry

Teachers have more time to spend on teaching than lesson

preparation, therefore enhancing our quality of teaching

The greatest outcomes