In this ongoing climate of volatility and economic uncertainty, forging strong relationships is proving to be a major secret to success. From the perspective of ports, it’s all about partnerships. While this is centered most importantly on the customer, it also must involve the major service providers, including labor, stevedores and terminal operators, ocean carriers, railroads, truckers and a host of others throughout the supply chain. A collaborative approach that encourages a spirit of working together to find creative logistics solutions and joint leveraging of capital investments is an essential part of this formula.
We believe this team approach will be even more important. Ports that make this philosophy a core component of their corporate culture stand to significantly strengthen their competitiveness. Those ports that are able to combine this approach with a diverse portfolio of business, proximity to major population centers resulting in big local markets and the ability to offer efficient rail and highway intermodal connectivity, will be best positioned to thrive and prosper.