Seaport Supply Chains Examined at WERC’s Annual Conference

A panel discussion comprising two prominent port planners will address infrastructure and investment at next week’s Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) annual conference in Chicago. Paul Rasmussen, U.S. trade expert and CEO of Zepol, will also be sharing his insights on the nation’s “Top 30” ocean cargo gateways.

“The three speakers will explore the subject from a variety of perspectives,” notes Bob Trebilcock, editorial director, Supply Chain Management Review. “Having this kind of balance should make the session quite compelling.”
Trebilcock will serve as panel moderator for “U.S. Port Update: Investing in the Future, ” convening at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, April 28.

Russell Held, Director of Economic Development, The Port of Virginia, will share a forecast indicating that container traffic will grow at twice the rate of GDP through the year 2022.
“Ports with sufficient capacity will be in the best position to capture that traffic,” he says.

The concurrent growth in containership size, along with the Panama Canal expansion, will also create opportunities for Norfolk. With a deep harbor draft and a double-stack rail network through the “Heartland Corridor,” it will offer several competitive advantages in the future.

Tim Van Wormer, Marine Planning and Development Manager for the Port of Portland, will explain how a smaller “niche port,” can serve the specialized needs of automobile importers.

Through a “public private partnership,” Portland is expanding its processing facility and working with the Auto Warehousing Company to optimize its three dedicated terminals.

“The makeup of the ‘Top 30’ ports demonstrates the wide range of diversity in strategic planning,” says Rasmussen. “Warehousing professionals should monitor these developments closely.”

For more details: http://www.werc.org/

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