L.A., Long Beach Create Supply Chain Working Groups

 

Seeking new supply chain efficiencies, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have announced the creation of working groups focusing on peak operations and terminal optimization to develop ways to strengthen the competitiveness of the San Pedro Bay port complex.
 
Participants in the issue-specific working groups will be drawn from goods movement industry stakeholders, including shipping lines, cargo owners, labor, railroads, trucking interests, equipment owners and more.

The Peak Season 2015 working group will be the first to meet — in early June — kicking off a series of intensive sessions. The job of this first working group will be to drill down on this year’s peak demand needs at the port complex. The mission of the supply chain optimization effort overall is to build upon the economic benefits the port complex provides to the region.

The seven working groups are Peak Season 2015, Container Terminal Optimization, Chassis, Off-dock Solutions, Key Performance Indicators/Data Solutions, Intermodal Rail, and Drayage.

The ports’ Supply Chain Optimization effort springs from an agreement approved by the Federal Maritime Commission earlier this year that allows the neighboring ports to discuss new efficiencies and other improvements that would improve the ports’ business competitiveness, environmental sustainability and security.

With this historic opportunity to facilitate improvements and discussions that reach across all parts of the supply chain, the ports last month hosted a joint meeting in Long Beach drawing dozens of industry representatives to weigh in on their most pressing needs.

The Supply Chain Optimization Steering Committee – comprised of port leaders – is reaching out to stakeholders across the industry for participants for the seven working groups, starting with the Peak Season 2015 working group.

In addition, the ports will convene advisory groups of additional environmental, industry, community and government stakeholders to be asked for input on proposals put forth by the working groups.

The Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach are the two largest ports in the nation, first and second respectively, and combined are the 10th-largest port complex in the world. The two ports handle approximately 40 percent of the nation’s total containerized import traffic and 25 percent of its total exports. Trade that flows through the San Pedro Bay ports complex generates more than 3 million jobs nationwide.