Reaching High

Modern ports need advanced equipment. Ports are spoilt for use.

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According to a recent McKinsey report, most ports have adopted automation more slowly than comparable sectors, notably mining and warehousing. But this is changing. It goes with-out saying that automated ports are safer than conventional ones. The number of human-related disruptions falls, and performance becomes more predictable. Yet the up-front capital expenditures are quite high, and the operational challenges—a shortage of capabilities, poor data, siloed operations, and difficulty handling exceptions—are very significant. The McKinsey survey indicates that while operating expenses decline, so does productivity, and the returns on invested capital are currently lower than the industry norm.

India has 12 major ports and 200 notified minor and intermediate ports. In recent times, ships calling at Indian ports are turning around faster and benefiting from higher berth productivity thanks to a renewed government focus on port infrastructure development and ease-of-doing-business measures. WHat has changed is the way evolution of cargo handling equipment has kept pace with the dramatic increase in international shipping activity. As vessel sizes continue to increase, the volume of container and roll-on/roll-off cargo continues to grow. Efficiencies in handling these packaging forms has become increasingly important and marine terminal equipment design and manufacturing continues under the gun to meet the growing challenges.

MAKING IT WORK