The future is now: It presents plenty of change and opportunity at all levels. Most of the Western economies are still struggling to get out of the economic backwater that has persisted for far too long.
Declining oil and energy prices have created new agendas throughout the world and have also had a notable impact on commerce.
Efficient and cost-effective logistics and transportation services will continue to generate trade that ties nations together. The disruption of a normally reliable and trustworthy supply chain will unfortunately be particularly fresh in the minds of importers and exporters using U.S. West Coast ports as a gateway for their transportation needs. The culmination of many events stressed the supply chain, including severe chassis shortages, inconsistent vessel schedules, ultra large container ships, substantial container volume, and labor disruptions, to name a few. This is totally unacceptable. However, these events also highlight the necessity, and opportunities, inherent in change.
It is time to think differently about how containers are processed through marine terminals. The traditional method of stacking and sorting imported containers, for instance, takes a great deal of time and resources just to dig a container out of a particular pile before it is conveyed to a motor carrier. An alternative methodology is already available for high-volume importers, and for transload containers, where certain terminals — SSA Marine included — offer block stowage right off the vessel. The trucker receives the first box off the stack, and with a speed gate, only a minimal amount of waiting time will concur. This presents a very efficient opportunity promising to benefit all involved: the trucker, the importer, the terminal. Similarly, a “free-flow” process will evolve to include all imports, not just transloads, thereby enabling terminals to expedite service and keep control of costs.
Knud E. Stubkjaer, CEO, Carrix