Operational efficiency must precede expansion in port modernisation: Avlino CEO

Urges Sri Lanka's port and maritime sector leaders to move beyond static, rulesbased systems and embrace intent-driven operations

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AVLINO CEO Ramana Jampala yesterday said operational efficiency, not capacity expansion, must be the starting point for modernising ports and terminals warning that large capital investments without fixing underlying inefficiencies risk delivering suboptimal returns.

Delivering the keynote at the inaugural session of the Terminal Technology and Trade Engagement 2026 held under the Colombo Plan Maritime Advisory Program (MAP), Jampala stressed that policymaking and technology implementation must go hand in hand if ports are to remain competitive in an increasingly complex global trade environment.

"Growth is important, expansion is important. However, preceding expansion, there must be an emphasis on efficiency. If you don't have efficiency in your personal operations, the incremental investment dollars you require to get incremental revenue will not be optimal," he said.

Jampala cautioned against reflexively pursuing capital expenditure as a solution to congestion and delays, arguing instead that ports should first ask whether they are extracting maximum productivity from existing infrastructure, equipment, and yard capacity.

"Strive not for capex; strive for operational efficiencies," he told the audience of policymakers, port officials, and industry stakeholders.

The Avlino CEO urged senior management in Sri Lanka's port and maritime sector to move beyond static, rules-based systems and embrace intent-driven operations. "Earlier, predefined rules defined your business Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Now, management should define the KPIs and the system should dynamically adapt to deliver them," he said.

He opined that if this shift is embraced, Sri Lanka's ports could "leapfrog three to five years" in operational maturity, aligning themselves with the most advanced terminals globally.