The Port of Long Beach is working alongside technology consulting firm UNCOMN to launch the “Supply Chain Information Highway”.
The product is a new free-to-stakeholders cargo visibility service software which looks to help shippers make better operational decisions by providing the data to integrate into their own systems and track their cargo through the complete supply chain. This should allow partners to better plan shipments and reduce delays at the port.
The move comes after the port held meetings with industry partners and stakeholders to determine what services could be provided to help them better support their businesses. The outcome from these meetings was that due to the varied nature of business issues across terminals, the best possible solution was to offer access to a platform that securely collected, curated, and published data across all modes of transportation.
The port selected UNCOMN to work with after a competitive request for proposals.
“This tool will put actionable data into the hands of supply chain participants, to enable them to make better plans and decisions,” Mario Cordero, Executive Director of the Port of Long Beach. “It will be free, and the data collected will work with existing systems.”
Steven Neal, President of the Long Beach Harbor Commission, added “In an era of e-commerce and overnight delivery, it’s more important than ever to have full visibility and transparency for shipments. Our goal in working with UNCOMN is to make a tool that will enable our partners to schedule and plan prior to cargo arrival and reduce delays during each handoff between modes of transportation.”
A soft launch of the software is expected in February 2022.
The Port of Long Beach and Los Angeles also recently delayed consideration of the “Container Dwell Fee” yet again, until 20 December 2021.
This marks the fifth time the decision has been delayed as the twin ports have seen a combined decline of 47% in ageing cargo.
