What Drives Efficiency at Ports?

February 05, 2017
by Don Berchoff

This week, TruWeather Solutions attended the American Association of Port Authorities Convention in Miami, Fl.  Bethann Rooney, Assistant Director, Port Commence Department, The Port Authority of New York and Steve Cernak, Chief Executive/Port Director at Port Everglades, articulated thought-provoking case studies during the session, “Enhance Efficiency in and Around Your Port.”  Key themes included intermodal efficiency, revenue generation, and port efficiency and reliability.

Steve Cernak identified how optimizing five port attributes can drive efficiency at a port:  Navigation; Landside Transportation; Internal Port Circulation; IT Technology; and Security.  All these attributes become more effective and efficient when proactively using accurate and precise weather and water behavior intelligence to anticipate and exploit the environment, rather than trying to just cope and avoid.  Having a comprehensive weather and water integration strategy, that results in consistent business decisions, will increase profits for all operators by reducing risk and costs during intermodal container transfer and in operating vessels, rail, trucks and aircraft.

Bethann Rooney focused on the importance of data integration and interoperability in improving efficiency and reliability and discussed the findings of a task force that resulted in the development of the Terminal Information Portal System (TIPS.)  TIPS is a central web portal that enables users to check container availability, and export booking status, as well as to obtain information on terminal-specific news such as extended hours, holiday schedules or row closures.  TIPS was developed to give port users a central portal location to access information that can streamline business processes. TIPS is available to truckers, beneficial cargo owners, and other service providers.

With the focus on efficiency and reliability at ports, and across the intermodal value chain, and with tools like TIPS available to deliver fused and consistent data to end users, how can intermodal operators gain the weather and water behavior insight they need to address pain points and help improve business results?

TruWeather Solutions consults, solutions and provides customized services for marine, port, and trucking operations.  Our water products are powered by MetOcean Solutions, who have the most accessible, state-of-the-art hyperlocal water behavior modeling on the market today.  TruWeather is your single source of consistent weather and water intelligence, accessible by portal, API for integration into an operator’s interface, and/or through instantaneous alert messages to any device, anytime, anywhere.  Our services are focused on helping our clients make better business and safety decisions by avoiding costly surprises and proactively managing business risk, turning a profit killer into a profit builder.
Don Berchoff
CEO
TruWeatherSolutions, LLC