The WCA Family of Logistic Networks specialty group, PLA (Perishable Logistics Alliance,) is looking forward to making its mark as a premier network of independent forwarders with an expertise in moving temperature sensitive and perishable goods. But as Brian Majerus, leader of the specialist’s networks for the WCA, explained at the 1st Annual meeting of the PLA, moving ahead sometimes means getting back to basics.By George Lauriat, Editor-in-Chief, AJOTAt the 1st Annual Perishables Logistics Alliance (PLA) Conference held in Pudong, Shanghai, September 25-26, Brian Majerus didn’t have great expectations for the turn out. The PLA is in the process of re-inventing itself, and as Majerus remarked to the AJOT, “There was little attention paid to the PLA…it was an agent list designed to showcase perishable services.” When over eighty members turned up for the inaugural meeting Majerus, who also represents APLN (Advanced Professional Logistics Network) and CGLN (China Global Logistics Network) among others, was pleasantly surprised and had to scramble to find a bigger room to accommodate the larger than expected turnout. The interest in perishables is clear. The perishables business, if done right, can be highly profitable. Even during the recent recession the reefer side of the ocean and air transport sector showed freight rate resilience. The problem with moving perishables is it requires very specialized equipment and an equally specialized approach to maintaining the integrity throughout the supply chain. Any failure throughout this supply chain can result in a costly disaster. For this reason, having good partnerships is essential for a forwarder: Can the guy on the other end of the line do his job? Majerus decided the first step in developing a perishable network would be a re-examination of the existing PLA membership. “We went back and cleaned house, cutting the network back from 126 members to 81 members,” Majerus said. Majerus added that the cuts in the PLA membership were a “back to basics” exercise. However, Majerus noted that the cutting process included more visits to the forwarders’ sites, coupled with checking references and referrals in what amounted to a re-qualifying of the membership. Although cutting seems counter intuitive to building a membership, it was a critical first step for building a renewed PLA. “This new group will act as our “founding members,” going forward to build a new generation of PLA members, Majerus told the AJOT. The shipment of perishables and temperature-controlled products is much different than standard freight. For example, perishables can mean anything from fruit and vegetables, meats and seafood, poultry or pharmaceuticals. The diverse range of commodities (and as a consequence wide-range of demands) makes the movement of perishables a niche business that isn’t right for everyone. Even within the perishable business, there are many individual sectors. For example, a company that is very good at moving orange juice concentrate isn’t necessarily going to be good with pharmaceuticals. Additionally, because the commodities are high-value freight with tight delivery times, the risk to the forwarder is high. Finally, temperature controlled movements require expensive, highly specialized equipment that must be positioned and re-positioned, despite being carried by ships that are tied to schedules driven by dry freight. For example, as ocean carriers adopt slow steaming with fewer port calls, equipment shortages are an inevitable consequence. The need to quickly reposition the equipment often runs counter to the perishable commodity’s location. Majerus’ plan is to build a perishable network that’s “separate from the [WCA] general cargo,” and he says building a “cohesive group” is the first phase of the makeover. Majerus thinks the hardest part of building the necessary cohesiveness for the network is the diverse nature of the commodities. But Majerus believes as the group builds and exchanges ideas the natural business lines