By Mark Edward Nero
A strategic partnership with the USC Marshall Center for Global Supply Chain Management aimed at improving the global competitiveness of the nation’s supply chains was signed by US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker in Los Angeles on Oct. 14.
“Through this new partnership, we hope to encourage ports around the country to increase efficiency by adopting new technologies that will provide more information on the flow of goods to port users and stakeholders,” Secretary Pritzker explained. “The ability to move cargo quickly through our ports is critical to national and regional trade, economic growth, and our nation’s overall competitiveness.”
The partnership with USC Marshall will allow for collaboration on digitalization of the nation’s supply chains.
“The Port of Los Angeles isn't just the nation's leading cargo port—it’s a laboratory for ideas and technologies that show how ports across America can thrive in the global marketplace for generations to come,” LA Mayor Eric Garcetti said. “Los Angeles is the perfect home for this innovative partnership, and I’m proud of the critical role our port has played in making it possible.”
The first formal event of the partnership will be the Port Community IT Systems Exhibition and Technology Challenge at USC on Nov. 18-20. The gathering will open with a symposium offering leaders from ports communities and supply chain owner organizations, as well as public policy and academic experts a chance to explore how digital innovations can increase port operating efficiencies and reduce overall supply chain congestion.
“The alliance between the Dept. of Commerce, USC Marshall and the CGSCM will facilitate the crucial first step of dissecting this problem so we can move forward with modernizing global supply chain using digital technology,” Nick Vyas, executive director of USC Marshall’s Center for Global Supply Chain Management (CGSCM) and assistant professor of clinical data sciences and operations at USC Marshall, said in a statement.