SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
PACIFIC NORTHWEST TRADE AND LOGISTICS
Infrastructure for the PNW ’ s wide-range of trucking needs requires improvement .
Northwest Seaport Alliance
“ clean ” trucking ultimately means for the area will be interesting .
“ The PNW has a wide range of trucking needs , from remote forested areas for the lumber industry to agriculturally rich areas that require
significant mountain passes to traverse and everything in between ,” he added . “ Unfortunately , infrastructure for those needs has a long way to go .”
In 2023 , the shipping industry saw backlash from nearly all US importers with overstock due to the pandemic boom .
“ This severely impacted all supply chain providers and sent ocean rates tumbling to the lowest levels we ’ ve all seen in years ,” Krawczyk said .
The good news is that inventory levels have been right sized for the most part , but consumer demand is still flat , and importers are projecting it to stay that way into 2024 . Mayer noted that most beneficial
“ Even though we ’ ve seen technological improvements within the supply chain over the past decade , it ’ s still a relationship business .” cargo owners learned a lot about consumer demand during the pandemic .
“ All that big data , combined with everimproving AI capabilities , should lead to improved forecasting ,” he said . “ The challenge is for the supply chain industry to readily adapt to all that while investigating and investing in similar technologies .”
Shippers are also watching the East Coast International Longshoremen ’ s
Association contract , which expires in September . “ Importers are worried about slowdowns and a potential strike , which could result in massive volumes surging to the West Coast and crush infrastructure capabilities , once again leading to significant dwell times and increased ocean rates ,” Krawczyk said . “ All of this highlights why using a mix of niche and alliance carriers combined with spreading freight across multiple US corridors is so important to derisk supply chains .”
Ultimately , the strong partnership in the gateway area exemplifies the collaborative spirit essential for success in the evolving global trade landscape .
“ Even though we ’ ve seen technological improvements within the supply chain over the past decade , it ’ s still a relationship business where you must surround yourself with industry experts and builders who can think outside the box to create improvements and solve pain points ,” Krawczyk said . n
email : nicolerollender @ strandwritingservices . com
48 Journal of Commerce | April 8 , 2024 www . joc . com