Never before in the history of our industry has there been such a compelling need for true collaboration among stakeholders across the entire supply chain. Vessels continue getting larger; greater volumes of cargo are being loaded/discharged in a single port call; ongoing investment in supporting infrastructure, both inside and outside of the marine terminals, is necessary; and warehouse and distribution center hours of operation are not yet aligned in support of evening and/or weekend gates. These are just a few of the challenges stakeholders face in an already complex industry. The issues are significant. Indeed, they are multifaceted with no one entity uniquely positioned to comprehensively and holistically develop and implement the required solutions.
Whether functioning as an operating port or a landlord port, there are limits to what port authorities can accomplish on their own. As such, industry leaders, including port executives, container shipping companies, labor, planners, truckers and cargo interests need to be bold thinkers willing to address these systemic issues and identify new solutions in collaboration with like-minded representatives from the key stakeholder groups. Both the current state of the industry and the position ports hold within the international supply chain mandate that we lead, by example, in the active formation of partnerships focused on finding solutions to long-standing and emerging challenges.
The Port of New York and New Jersey recognized the need for extensive collaboration two years ago when it created the Port Performance Task Force, an industry stakeholder forum tasked to identify both problems and solutions for optimizing port operations. Executive level representatives from all sectors have come together in a manner that subjugates the interests of their respective organizations for the greater good.
For 2016 and beyond, industry leaders will need to seek out all opportunities for greater collaboration. A new collaborative framework across the supply chain is the new industry mandate as well as the new normal.
Molly C. Campbell, Director, Port Commerce Department, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey