b'22American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comImporters and exportersgame changers for the industry at largeBy Charlie Taylor, VP Sales, MatchBack Systems, Special to the AJOTWhile the last few years have cre- dont have to throw a rock very far to ated many changes and challenges infind a new tech solution to some prob-our industry, a constant has continuedlemintheindustry,orsomeglobal to be the top importers andtechgiantbuyingtheir exporters in the US.Oneway to solutions.Private thingremainsthesame:equityinvestmenthas the folks at the top driveslowed down in the tech change in the industry. space(althoughthereis Industryexpertstalkhopethatweseesome aboutnormalizingtomoreactionintheback 2019 or pre-covid levelshalf of 2024).The leading of import and export vol- importersandexporters umes.ItdoesntmatterintheUShavetechnol-whichconstituentintheindustryyouogy solutions at play, but it continues are talking to, which tradeshow you areto be fragmented at best.Many com-at,orwhatpodcastyouarelisteningpanies are looking to niche providers to, we are there.In 2019 we all wentto fill in the gaps of the large TMS into crisis mode in our day-to-dayplatforms.There is still a valid build interactions, managing transportationvs. buy discussion in the market.The partnerchangesonanhourlybasis.pressures of revenue growth, person-After five years of pulling our hair outnelcutbacks,andsupplychaindis-on a regular basis, the normal is nowruption will all have an impact on IT crisis mode.The question ishas thisspending.This year will continue to madetheindustrybetter,worse,orbring new tech players to the table, the just simply different? Here are a fewquestion is who will provide the value thoughts to consider for 2024: and fill the gaps for the import and export leaders. C riSiSm anagement- t hen ewn Ormal S uStainability e veryOneSThelastfiveyearshaveshownD Oingi t !how antiquated our industry has beenSustainabilityandESGgoals fromatechnology,visibility,andareattheforefrontofeverycom-customer experience perspective.Wepanyplan,regardlessofsizeand dont have to look far for examples ofscope.The largest and most impact-changing arrival schedules, ships atful importers and exporters have very anchor for days, containers sitting forpublic Sustainability Reports you can days or weeks at a time, lack of trucksreview to see what and how they mea-and chassis capacity, and on and on.suretheirimpact.Moreandmore Importers and exporters of all sizesthesecompaniesarerequiringtheir and scopes had to revert to relation- transportationvendorstoreporton shipswiththeirvendorpartnerstotheirownsustainabilityinitiatives, service their customers.There is stilland how these or how their operations(OPTIMISTICcontinued fromports because of ongoing labor nego-value in doing business with peoplewill impact the inquiring party.Com- page 21) tiationsbetweentheInternational you trust and who value your busi- panieswithglobalfootprints,espe- the global supply chain. He noted thatLongshoremensAssociation(ILA) ness and your customers.This yearcially those headquartered in Europethe current shipping restrictions at theand the U.S. Maritime Alliance. The will bring a continued focus of know- or doing a substantial amount of busi- Panama Canal will continue and fur- contract will expire at the end of Sep-ing who you are doing business with,ness in Europe, have a head start onther impact the choices shippers andtemberduringpeakseasonwhen and who can provide value to the endcompanies focused solely on sellingcarriers have for an alternate route. retailersarebringingintheirholi-customer, and who can respond at theor servicing North America.That isWhiletheRedSeaattacksaredaymerchandise,hesaid,adding pace of the new normal.changingwithstatespecificlegisla- commandingworldwideattentionthat the NRF has called on the ILA tion (California as an example) nowamongshippersandoceancarriers,and USMX to return to the bargain-t eChnOlOgy t heS eCretS auCe puttingpressureoncompaniestosaid the NRF executive, retailers musting table to settle on a new contract The need for real time visibilityreport on Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions.also plan for potential labor disrup- before the current one expires.and access to information is real.You(CHANGERScontinued on page 38) tionsatEastCoastandGulfCoastMeanwhile,Goldsaidimport cargo at the nations major container portscontinuestorisedespiteRed Seavesseldisruptionsandtonnage volumesareexpectedtoseeyear-over-year gains through the first half of 2024, while the revenue outlook is not as positive.Only about 12% of U.S. bound cargo comes through the Suez Canal butthesituationintheRedSeais bringingvolatilityanduncertainty that are being felt around the world, GoldsaidinaGlobalPortTracker reportreleasedFebruary9byNRF and Hackett Associates, a consultancy to the international maritime industry and government agencies. Still, the Tracker is basing its fore-casts on projections for U.S. ports and concluded imported cargo nationwide for the first half of the current year will be 11.1 million TEU, up 5.3 per-cent from the same period last year. How? The consultancys founder, BenHackett,explainstheprojected cargovolumehikeinthefaceof currentRedSeashippingattacks (OPTIMISTICcontinued on page 38)'