Port Logistics Group enters Savannah market

The trucking and distribution services provider for importers has expanded its national reach to one of the nation’s major ports.    Port Logistics Group, a provider of full-service transportation and logistics for importers at several major U.S. ports, has expanded to Savannah, where it operates two new distribution centers within six miles of the port.
   The company, which was founded in 2008 through the merger of three logistics companies and then acquired last year by investment fund Endeavor Capitol of Portland, Ore., also operates at the ports of New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles and Long Beach, and Seattle/Tacoma.
   Port Logistics Group provides local shuttle trucking service between ports and warehouses, transloading into domestic containers, and other value-added warehousing services. It has nearly 5 million square feet of dedicated and multi-client warehouse space under its control.
   In Savannah, the company will pick and pack goods, create store kits, and label and ticket merchandise for a high-end retail bedding and home goods customer, and perform light manufacturing and kitting for a furniture company that serves mass market retailers across the United States.
   “This expansion completes one of our key strategic goals – creating a national logistics provider that can serve customers in any of the major North American import gateways,” Greg Morello, chief marketing and strategy office for Port Logistics Group, said in a statement. “Our customers can now quickly adjust their supply chains to reduce costs and increase speed to market, and be confident that they’ll receive consistent service, regardless of the port of entry.”
   The Port of Savannah is the fourth largest container port in the nation and over the past 15 years has become a magnet for distribution centers as shippers look to diversify their supply chain gateways to reach consumers in the eastern half of the United States. Savannah’s advantages include a massive terminal with the scale to smoothly handle large amounts of cargo; advance investments in equipment, technology and personnel; a large number of gates and pre-check lanes for trucks; on-dock rail; efficient cargo exchanges; and an interconnected logistics infrastructure in the region.
   The trend of shippers gravitating to Savannah has accelerated in the past year following the contentious labor negotiations at West Coast ports that caused massive cargo delays during the fall and winter. Although dockworkers and management on the West Coast have executed a multi-year agreement and brought operations back to normal, many shippers that shifted their cargo to the East Coast via all-water routes out of necessity have opted to maintain that gateway strategy for a sizable chunk of their freight because of satisfaction with reliability at ports such as Savannah.
   On Monday, the Georgia Ports Authority reported container volumes at the Port of Savannah jumped 16.5 percent in fiscal year 2015 to 3.66 million TEUs, topping last year’s record of 3.14 million TEUs.