"Once burned, twice learned" appears to be the cliche of the day as West Coast dockworkers and waterfront management closed in late Friday on an extraordinary step to extend their collective bargaining agreement for three years, despite being just halfway through their current compact.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), which represents about 20,000 workers at 29 ports, said Friday that early tallying indicated the contract extension, which would run until Jan. 1, 2022, would pass with about two-thirds of the members ratifying it. A final tally is expected to be announced later this week. The current five-year compact is set to expire on July 1, 2019.
No maritime stakeholder can recall a situation where a new labor contract has been agreed to, or an existing pact extended, with so much time remaining on the current agreement. Yet the circumstances that led in the February 2015 tentative contract agreement, followed by union ratification that May, may have pre-ordained such a scenario.
The nine-month battle between ILWU and Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents waterfront management, was one of the most contentious in years, though it never resulted in a strike or management lockout. An ILWU work slowdown caused U.S. import traffic to languish on docks and on vessels both berthed and sitting on the water. Exports, many of them perishables shipments, sat rotting in warehouses because no vessels were available to transport them. U.S. importers and exporters re-routed their traffic to East and Gulf Coast ports; some of it never returned to the West Coast.
Only a last-ditch effort by then-Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez, and a threat to move the talks to Washington, with President Obama possibly getting involved, forced both sides into hammering out an agreement.
Mindful of the extreme animus created by the dispute, as well as concerns that future service disruptions might compel more businesses to avoid the West Coast in favor of the expanded Panama Canal, which enables vessels to sail from Asia to the East Coast and bypass West Coast gateways, PMA approached the ILWU leadership in April 2016 to join talks aimed at extending the contract. ILWU members debated for more than a year before taking a ratification vote, the union said.
Another factor is that no one either side wants to stake out a position that may threaten the strong tonnage gains being reported by virtually all U.S. ports, including Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland, Calif., the three biggest on the West Coast. The gains have been due to a combination of an improving global economy, larger vessels capable of handling more containers, and higher cargo-handling productivity at ports and terminals. The latter element may be the most pivotal, because the 2015 agreement did not introduce any productivity-enhancement measures, unlike the 2002 and 2008 accords. Instead, management's objective in 2014-15 was just to maintain normal operations at the ports.
The Port of Oakland said labor relations have been good and productivity high in the 30 months since the current contract was ratified. "We feel that a decision to extend the contract reflects improving relations and performance up and down the West Coast," said Chris Lytle, the port's executive director. Oakland, which handles more exports than imports, suffered greatly during the dispute because of its large export profile.
The National Retail Federation (NRF), which is the country's largest retailer trade group and has a huge stake in maritime labor affairs, hailed news of the extension. The agreement provides the stability and predictability that NRF's members and other supply chain stakeholders need to move their cargo efficiently through the ports, said Jonathan Gold, vice president of supply chain and customs policy for NRF.
Gold added that "nobody wants to see a repeat of the problems that were experienced in 2014-2015, and this remarkable sign of good faith on the part of both labor and management ensures that such a situation will be avoided."
Leaders at American ports are cheering the latest round of federal infrastructure funding announced today, which will bring almost $580 million in Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) awards, funding 31 projects in 15 states and one territory.
“Modernizing America’s port infrastructure is essential to strengthening the multimodal network that supports our nation's supply chain,” Maritime Administrator Ann Phillips said in a release. “Approximately 2.3 billion short tons of goods move through U.S. waterways each year, and the benefits of developing port infrastructure extend far beyond the maritime sector. This funding enhances the flow and capacity of goods moved, bolstering supply chain resilience across all transportation modes, and addressing the environmental and health impacts on port communities.”
Even as the new awardees begin the necessary paperwork, industry group the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) said it continues to urge Congress to continue funding PIDP at the full authorized amount and get shovels in the ground faster by passing the bipartisan Permitting Optimization for Responsible Transportation (PORT) Act, which slashes red tape, streamlines outdated permitting, and makes the process more efficient and predictable.
"Our nation's ports sincerely thank our bipartisan Congressional leaders, as well as the USDOT for making these critical awards possible," Cary Davis, AAPA President and CEO, said in a release. "Now comes the hard part. AAPA ports will continue working closely with our Federal Government partners to get the money deployed and shovels in the ground as soon as possible so we can complete these port infrastructure upgrades and realize the benefits to our nation's supply chain and people faster."
Supply chains are poised for accelerated adoption of mobile robots and drones as those technologies mature and companies focus on implementing artificial intelligence (AI) and automation across their logistics operations.
That’s according to data from Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Mobile Robots and Drones, released this week. The report shows that several mobile robotics technologies will mature over the next two to five years, and also identifies breakthrough and rising technologies set to have an impact further out.
Gartner’s Hype Cycle is a graphical depiction of a common pattern that arises with each new technology or innovation through five phases of maturity and adoption. Chief supply chain officers can use the research to find robotic solutions that meet their needs, according to Gartner.
Gartner, Inc.
The mobile robotic technologies set to mature over the next two to five years are: collaborative in-aisle picking robots, light-cargo delivery robots, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for transport, mobile robotic goods-to-person systems, and robotic cube storage systems.
“As organizations look to further improve logistic operations, support automation and augment humans in various jobs, supply chain leaders have turned to mobile robots to support their strategy,” Dwight Klappich, VP analyst and Gartner fellow with the Gartner Supply Chain practice, said in a statement announcing the findings. “Mobile robots are continuing to evolve, becoming more powerful and practical, thus paving the way for continued technology innovation.”
Technologies that are on the rise include autonomous data collection and inspection technologies, which are expected to deliver benefits over the next five to 10 years. These include solutions like indoor-flying drones, which utilize AI-enabled vision or RFID to help with time-consuming inventory management, inspection, and surveillance tasks. The technology can also alleviate safety concerns that arise in warehouses, such as workers counting inventory in hard-to-reach places.
“Automating labor-intensive tasks can provide notable benefits,” Klappich said. “With AI capabilities increasingly embedded in mobile robots and drones, the potential to function unaided and adapt to environments will make it possible to support a growing number of use cases.”
Humanoid robots—which resemble the human body in shape—are among the technologies in the breakthrough stage, meaning that they are expected to have a transformational effect on supply chains, but their mainstream adoption could take 10 years or more.
“For supply chains with high-volume and predictable processes, humanoid robots have the potential to enhance or supplement the supply chain workforce,” Klappich also said. “However, while the pace of innovation is encouraging, the industry is years away from general-purpose humanoid robots being used in more complex retail and industrial environments.”
An eight-year veteran of the Georgia company, Hakala will begin his new role on January 1, when the current CEO, Tero Peltomäki, will retire after a long and noteworthy career, continuing as a member of the board of directors, Cimcorp said.
According to Hakala, automation is an inevitable course in Cimcorp’s core sectors, and the company’s end-to-end capabilities will be crucial for clients’ success. In the past, both the tire and grocery retail industries have automated individual machines and parts of their operations. In recent years, automation has spread throughout the facilities, as companies want to be able to see their entire operation with one look, utilize analytics, optimize processes, and lead with data.
“Cimcorp has always grown by starting small in the new business segments. We’ve created one solution first, and as we’ve gained more knowledge of our clients’ challenges, we have been able to expand,” Hakala said in a release. “In every phase, we aim to bring our experience to the table and even challenge the client’s initial perspective. We are interested in what our client does and how it could be done better and more efficiently.”
Although many shoppers will
return to physical stores this holiday season, online shopping remains a driving force behind peak-season shipping challenges, especially when it comes to the last mile. Consumers still want fast, free shipping if they can get it—without any delays or disruptions to their holiday deliveries.
One disruptor that gets a lot of headlines this time of year is package theft—committed by so-called “porch pirates.” These are thieves who snatch parcels from front stairs, side porches, and driveways in neighborhoods across the country. The problem adds up to billions of dollars in stolen merchandise each year—not to mention headaches for shippers, parcel delivery companies, and, of course, consumers.
Given the scope of the problem, it’s no wonder online shoppers are worried about it—especially during holiday season. In its annual report on package theft trends, released in October, the
security-focused research and product review firm Security.org found that:
17% of Americans had a package stolen in the past three months, with the typical stolen parcel worth about $50. Some 44% said they’d had a package taken at some point in their life.
Package thieves poached more than $8 billion in merchandise over the past year.
18% of adults said they’d had a package stolen that contained a gift for someone else.
Ahead of the holiday season, 88% of adults said they were worried about theft of online purchases, with more than a quarter saying they were “extremely” or “very” concerned.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are some low-tech steps consumers can take to help guard against porch piracy along with some high-tech logistics-focused innovations in the pipeline that can protect deliveries in the last mile. First, some common-sense advice on avoiding package theft from the Security.org research:
Install a doorbell camera, which is a relatively low-cost deterrent.
Bring packages inside promptly or arrange to have them delivered to a secure location if no one will be at home.
Consider using click-and-collect options when possible.
If the retailer allows you to specify delivery-time windows, consider doing so to avoid having packages sit outside for extended periods.
These steps may sound basic, but they are by no means a given: Fewer than half of Americans consider the timing of deliveries, less than a third have a doorbell camera, and nearly one-fifth take no precautions to prevent package theft, according to the research.
Tech vendors are stepping up to help. One example is
Arrive AI, which develops smart mailboxes for last-mile delivery and pickup. The company says its Mailbox-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform will revolutionize the last mile by building a network of parcel-storage boxes that can be accessed by people, drones, or robots. In a nutshell: Packages are placed into a weatherproof box via drone, robot, driverless carrier, or traditional delivery method—and no one other than the rightful owner can access it.
Although the platform is still in development, the company already offers solutions for business clients looking to secure high-value deliveries and sensitive shipments. The health-care industry is one example: Arrive AI offers secure drone delivery of medical supplies, prescriptions, lab samples, and the like to hospitals and other health-care facilities. The platform provides real-time tracking, chain-of-custody controls, and theft-prevention features. Arrive is conducting short-term deployments between logistics companies and health-care partners now, according to a company spokesperson.
The MaaS solution has a pretty high cool factor. And the common-sense best practices just seem like solid advice. Maybe combining both is the key to a more secure last mile—during peak shipping season and throughout the year as well.
The Boston-based enterprise software vendor Board has acquired the California company Prevedere, a provider of predictive planning technology, saying the move will integrate internal performance metrics with external economic intelligence.
According to Board, the combined technologies will integrate millions of external data points—ranging from macroeconomic indicators to AI-driven predictive models—to help companies build predictive models for critical planning needs, cutting costs by reducing inventory excess and optimizing logistics in response to global trade dynamics.
That is particularly valuable in today’s rapidly changing markets, where companies face evolving customer preferences and economic shifts, the company said. “Our customers spend significant time analyzing internal data but often lack visibility into how external factors might impact their planning,” Jeff Casale, CEO of Board, said in a release. “By integrating Prevedere, we eliminate those blind spots, equipping executives with a complete view of their operating environment. This empowers them to respond dynamically to market changes and make informed decisions that drive competitive advantage.”