The Port of Long Beach, Long Beach, Calif., and GE Transportation, Chicago, joined forces to increase visibility, enhance real-time decision-making and optimize cargo movement through the port.  

Building on the success of its pilot with the Port of Los Angeles, where the solution is helping to increase visibility of incoming cargo from two days to two weeks, GE Transportation, a division of the General Electric Co., will implement the Port Optimizer solution at marine terminals, including Total Terminals International and Long Beach Container Terminal for a 2- to 3-month pilot.  

“We experienced record volumes last year, with an 11% increase to 7.54 million 20-foot equivalent units, making 2017 our busiest year ever,” says Mario Cordero, executive director of the Port of Long Beach. “This partnership with GE is providing an important trial for us, as cargo and competition grow. We need new and innovative ways to ensure our customers can move their containers from water to land quickly, reliably and at a cost that makes sense for their business.”

“The pilot brings tremendous opportunity for the San Pedro Bay ports’ customers and supply chain partners,” says Laurie Tolson, chief digital officer for GE Transportation. “With container volumes on the rise, the world’s ports are moving more cargo than ever, making the need for operations optimization even more critical. A uniform, common user portal, like our Port Optimizer solution, will enable stakeholders to make scheduling, planning and payment decisions prior to cargo arrival, as well as reduce delays during each handoff between nodes in the supply chain.” 

“Boosting the efficient movement of cargo through San Pedro Bay, the nation's premier trade gateway, is key to accommodating future anticipated cargo growth,” says Lou Anne Bynum, president of Long Beach Harbor Commission, Long Beach, Calif. “It was important to us to ensure this pilot involved multiple container terminals, so we can collect the best data to develop this important tool. This is an intriguing technology, and we’re interested to see if it can improve our operations.” 

Port Optimizer is cloud-based software that enhances supply chain performance and predictability by delivering real-time, data-driven insights through a single portal to stakeholders across the supply chain.