By Karen Robes Meeks
The Port of Long Beach and GE Transportation are teaming up on a two-to-three-month pilot program aimed at improving cargo flow at the nation’s second busiest seaport, port officials announced this week.
The Port Optimizer data-driven digital solution will be launched at marine terminals such as Total Terminals International and Long Beach Container Terminal.
“We experienced record volumes last year, with an 11 percent increase to 7.54 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), making 2017 our busiest year ever,” said Mario Cordero, executive director of the Port of Long Beach. “This partnership with GE is providing an important trial for us as cargo and competition grow. We need new and innovative ways to ensure our customers can move their containers from water to land quickly, reliably and at a cost that makes sense for their business.”
The pilot brings tremendous opportunity for the San Pedro Bay ports customers and supply chain partners, said Laurie Tolson, Chief Digital Officer for GE Transportation.
“With container volumes on the rise, the world’s ports are moving more cargo than ever, making the need for operations optimization even more critical,” she explained. “A uniform, common user portal, like our Port Optimizer solution, will enable stakeholders to make scheduling, planning and payment decisions prior to cargo arrival, as well as reduce delays during each handoff between nodes in the supply chain.”
