Calgary’s Total Landed Costs Advantage

While Calgary is known principally for its energy sector, the city is rapidly gaining recognition for advantages it offers in the supply chain management arena.

“Given our unique geographical position, we can leverage total landed costs for many shippers,” says Reg Johnston, president of RJ T&L Consulting Ltd. “It’s important to note that Calgary International Airport is Western Canada’s hub and fifty million people can be reached within 24 hours by ground transportation from here.”

Manufacturing is also a dynamic sector, employing 49,600 people and 1,769 business establishments. The total GDP in 2010 from manufacturing was almost $6 million.

Jim Brown, president of JRSB Logistics observes that the high concentration of freight intermediaries and integrators also speaks to the rapid investment in infrastructure.

“All the multinational players are here, and they are only going to make a bigger footprint,” he says. “Both the Pacific Northwest ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert are naturally being used, but also Tacoma and Houston for energy-related project cargoes.”

As Alberta’s largest city, Calgary also plays a leading role in executing the workforce strategy for Alberta’s transportation and supply chain logistics industry. Annually, over 100,000 students benefit from education programs offered through the University of Calgary, SAIT Polytechnic, Mount Royal University and several other educational providers.
Maintaining a supply of skilled and available workers to meet the needs of the transportation and logistics sector is a top priority for Calgary.

The Calgary Economic Development Agency sums it up this way:

“Growth in the city’s supply of skilled workers is maintained by an ecosystem of industry stakeholders and educational institutions that have developed an effective strategy to support ongoing growth in this sector.”

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