Reducing Dwell Time Related to Clearing and Forwarding of Export and Import Goods at Kolkata Sea and Air Ports
The article traces the opportunities for reducing the dwell time taken during clearing of export and import (EXIM) goods at Kolkata sea and air ports. As observed in the Government of India reports, the dwell time in Indian airports is considerably higher than that of global benchmarks. Drawing from the literature, we figured out that reduction in dwell time can reduce opportunity cost and lead to increased productivity and higher efficiency of the ports and air terminals. In the first phase of the study, using the Ishikawa Fishbone diagram, we have analyzed the reasons behind the higher dwelling time in Kolkata air and sea ports. In the second phase, following the value stream mapping process indicated by Barber and Tietje (2008) the current state map of the EXIM clearing process has been mapped and possible future state maps have been proposed for reduction in dwell time.