Among testaments to the priority of the supply chain in the Peach State is the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics, a unit of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, which puts on an annual industry summit and furnishes year-round assistance and expertise to businesses that combine to annually move more than $900 billion of cargo through the state.

“Georgia stands out in its logistics offerings due to the completeness of its logistics infrastructure,” the center’s director, Matt Markham, told AJOT, citing the dynamic seaports of Savannah and Brunswick plus inland intermodal facilities, as well as a leading-edge highway network, rail services by two Class Is and 24 short lines, and growing cargo volumes at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which for two decades has been the world’s busiest for passenger traffic.

Matt Markham, director of the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics, believes the Peach State stands out in its supply chain capabilities.
Matt Markham, director of the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics, believes the Peach State stands out in its supply chain capabilities.

“And finally,” he said, “Georgia’s premier logistics technology completes the full suite of resources. Georgia companies can take advantage of the state’s nationally ranked IT (information technology) community that includes a growing cluster of nearly 400 IT companies specializing in supply-chain-related applications and devices.”

The innovation center’s partnerships with Georgia’s university system include tapping into Georgia Tech’s Supply Chain and Logistics Institute, bringing new technology and ways of doing business to the state’s logistics-enabled companies.

“Technology is rapidly changing the logistics and supply chain landscape, and you will continue to see the robust innovation ecosystem in Georgia’s universities and businesses lead in developing and deploying the next-generation technologies to help companies manage their supply chain and operate more efficiently,” Markham said.

“With the tremendous growth in traffic moving through our ports projected in the years ahead,” he continued, “you will see Georgia place even more emphasis on innovative and strategic tactics such as inland ports, truck-only lanes and key investments throughout our transportation network to ensure our shippers and logistics providers can continue to count on Georgia’s infrastructure to enable reliable and efficient freight movement.”

The 2018 edition of the center’s signature event – the Georgia Logistics Summit – is slated for April 9-11 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The summit has grown since its 2009 inception to annually attracting more than 1,500 attendees from around the world to discuss best practices and trends in the logistics industry and thus assist numerous businesses in taking greater advantage of Georgia’s strong logistics assets.