Port of Los Angeles sees box volumes rise in September

Meanwhile, the Port of Los Angeles signed a partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Center for Global Supply Chain Management to advance the use of technology at ports in order to make them more globally competitive.    The Port of Los Angeles handled 747,707 TEUs in September, an increase of 2.4 percent compared to September 2015.
   Loaded exports totaled 145,096 TEUs and were particularly strong, increasing 16.7 percent compared to last September. Loaded imports reached 388,958 TEUs in September, up 4.3 percent year-over-year. In addition, the Southern California port reported an 8.3 percent drop in empty containers from September 2015 to 213,653 TEUs.
   For the first nine months of 2016, overall container volumes through the port totaled 6.37 million TEUs, a 4.1 percent increase from the same period in 2015.
   “Despite challenges in global logistics due to the Hanjin bankruptcy, we’re pleased to see both import and export growth,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said.
   In comparison, the Port of Long Beach’s box volumes totaled 546,805 TEUs in September, while the Port of Oakland’s box volumes reached 187,540 TEUs, year-over-year declines of 16.6 percent and 5 percent, respectively.
   Meanwhile, the Port of Los Angeles signed a partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Center for Global Supply Chain Management at the University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business to advance the use of technology at ports in order to make them more globally competitive.
   “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,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, who signed the agreement at USC. “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 will allow for collaboration on digitalization of the nation’s supply chains, including applications related to the so-called “Internet of Things.”
   The first formal event of the partnership will be the Port Community IT Systems Exhibition and Technology Challenge at USC from Nov. 18-20. The gathering will open with a symposium offering leaders from port 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 November conference will also feature a technology challenge, allowing teams of startups and student developers to compete for $15,000 in prizes for innovative new applications and solutions for sharing vital information through Port Community IT systems.
   “The Port of Los Angeles will embark upon a project to test the capabilities of advanced digital technology to support efficiency, transparency and reliability in the maritime supply chain,” Seroka said. “We must engage a broad network of experts to succeed and the partnership announced today offers an excellent platform to do that.”
   The Center for Global Supply Chain Management at the USC Marshall School of Business has worked with the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach on multi-year research projects to develop efficiencies and solutions for improved cargo flow and environmental sustainability for three years. The Center has hosted the annual Global Supply Chain Management Excellence Summit since 2012, bringing together key supply chain stakeholders to network and share knowledge.
   Registration for the conference on Nov. 18 and a “hackathon” on Nov.19 is now open.