What is the # 1 Port in the U.S. Right Now?
What’s the top port in the United States right now? If you said one of the West Coast ports, guess again. Inbound Logistics’ podcast with port leaders tells the exciting story.
In 2021, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) found itself in a good news, bad news situation. Volume was at an all-time high, but this growth came much sooner than the port expected. And it came while PANYNJ also handled equipment and workforce shortages and issues stemming from the response to the pandemic.
How did PANYNJ respond to these challenges while keeping all the parts moving at its facilities? Amanda Valdes and Rado Saragih, two leaders at the port, shared the strategy and details, and how capitalizing on the change in trading patterns made it happen.
“Last year, the port moved nearly 9 million TEUs, which was an 18.5% increase from 2020,” says Valdes. “These are volumes that our 30-year port masterplan hadn’t predicted until 2026, so we’ve experienced five years of growth in about 18 months.”
According to Valdes and Saragih, the three Cs made it happen:
1. Collaboration
2. Communication
3. Core Partner Coordination
To illustrate the three Cs in action, PANYNJ held weekly stakeholder calls to stay ahead of emerging issues and to deploy shared assets, turning on a dime. One major challenge was bridging the disconnect between warehouses and terminal hours of operation to maximize equipment availability. PANYNJ expanded outreach efforts to off-port partners to better understand their operations and align capacity to match fast-changing needs.
And the story continues. Growth at the port is up again this year. Container volume for Q1 2022 showed 11% gains when compared with Q1 2021.
To hear the exciting details on how PANYNJ pivoted and turned adversity to opportunity, listen to the Inbound Logistics Podcast.