- Equipment manufacturers must develop innovative applications that will attract terminal operators. This includes the knowledge of what the terminal operator requires to accomplish his mission and the ability to anticipate a number of elements that may be considered local issues;
- Secondly the manufacturer must produce a viable product. This involves development and manufacturing in a manner that will allow them to capitalize on the opportunity presented by the marine terminal industry.
PORT EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY 2008 - Cargo handling equipment: The challenge of keeping pace
Editor’s note: Martin Pilsch, is President of Equip-Right, a company specializing in both the research and sale of marine cargo handling equipment.By Martin C. Pilsch, AJOTEveryone in the business of operating seaports has been challenged at one time or the other. At the marine terminal level, challenges are a routine affair, bringing out the best in management, operations, labor and equipment on a daily basis. Today, many opportunities are guided by these challenges, rather than creating them, and the technology and equipment sectors have willingly stepped in to accept their role as part of the industry.
At seaports, there are many challenges to include increases in vessel sizes, the requirement for increased cargo capacity, the development of adequate terminal controls, the reduction of environmental impacts and the reduction of operating costs. Within the boundaries of local constraints, the resolution of the conflict between volume and capacity involves the creation of an atmosphere where the combination of human capability and technological development can provide the advantage.
As a long-standing partner in the success of modern marine terminals, cargo handling equipment manufacturers have accepted this challenge along with two distinct challenges of their own: