Port of Los Angeles and GE Transportation Partner to Digitize Maritime Shipping and Help Goods Reach Consumers Faster

First-of-its-kind port information portal delivers fast, data-driven insights to enhance maritime supply chain performance and better serve ultra-large container vessels

Port of Los Angeles and GE Transportation (Photo: GE)

LOS ANGELES--()--(NYSE:GE) – With consumer spending on the rise, U.S. businesses need greater reliability and visibility from the supply chain to maintain their edge in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Given that 90 percent of global trade moves on the ocean, seaports are critical nodes of the supply chain. However, today’s major ports face the growing challenge of serving a new generation of massive container ships and the complexity of handling cargo carried by vessel-sharing alliances – constantly shifting arrangements between cargo ship operators where they share space on ships as a cost-saving strategy.

To keep cargo flowing efficiently through America’s largest container port, the Port of Los Angeles and GE Transportation are partnering to pilot a first-of-its-kind port information portal, a unique approach to demonstrate the benefits of digitizing maritime shipping data and making it available to cargo owners and supply chain operators through secure, channeled access. The digital platform will provide stakeholders with greater line-of-sight and planning capabilities to more effectively service ultra-large container vessels. Cargo data used in the two-month pilot project will include filtered information from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) system.

"Over the past year, the U.S. Department of Commerce has redoubled our efforts to help strengthen the competitiveness of our ports and supply chain stakeholders through the adoption of digital solutions," said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. "The innovative steps being taken in Los Angeles will demonstrate the value of new IT systems to ports and shippers, and help catalyze the voluntary implementation of these systems at ports throughout the U.S. We commend the Port of Los Angeles and GE for launching this visionary initiative."

The pilot project is a critical first step toward enabling next-level collaboration and coordination among the many stakeholders involved in the conveyance of waterborne cargo containers. It will enhance supply chain performance by delivering fast, data-driven insights through a single portal to partners across the supply chain.

“To keep pace with the rapidly changing shipping landscape, operations at our ports must evolve,” said Gene Seroka, Executive Director, Port of Los Angeles. “Digital solutions that enable supply chain partners to receive a ship’s cargo information well in advance of arrival, like with the digital portal we are envisioning with GE Transportation, are a critical key to optimizing U.S. cargo efficiency and trade competitiveness.”

Ultimately, the goal of the port information portal is to improve data-flow between cargo owners, shipping lines and other stakeholders so that port and terminal operators have an extended window of time to track inbound cargo to more effectively service vessels, optimize cargo movement and improve the predictability and reliability of the supply chain. Port and cargo stakeholders manually tested this advance exchange of data during the largest-ever container ship call last December.

“Our partnership with the Port of Los Angeles will unlock the power of big data at one of the largest ports in the world and demonstrate how digital can enhance and improve operations,” said Jamie Miller, President and CEO, GE Transportation. “This initial pilot will generate the insights to build a smarter, more efficient supply chain moving forward.”

The Port of Los Angeles is the nation’s largest container port, and GE Transportation has deep expertise in leveraging the power of digital to keep industries moving forward. Together, they are committed to increasing and enhancing the capabilities of the port information portal that will enable the supply chain to more seamlessly integrate and improve outcomes at the Port of Los Angeles and beyond.

To learn more, visit www.invent.ge/GETMM16.

About GE Transportation

At GE Transportation, we are in the business of realizing potential. We are a global technology leader and supplier of equipment, services and solutions to the rail, mining, marine, stationary power and drilling industries. Our innovations help customers deliver goods and services with greater speed and savings using our advanced manufacturing techniques and connected machines. Our digital solutions, which provide data-driven insights to improve efficiency, utilize Predix – GE’s cloud-based operating system for the Industrial Internet. Established more than a century ago, GE Transportation is a division of the General Electric Company that began as a pioneer in passenger and freight locomotives. That innovative spirit still drives GE Transportation today and is strengthened by our ability to serve customers more holistically through the GE Store – a global exchange of knowledge, technology and tools across all GE businesses that ultimately provides better outcomes for customers. GE Transportation is headquartered in Chicago, IL, and employs approximately 10,000 employees worldwide.

About Port of Los Angeles

The Port of Los Angeles, America’s Port® and the premier gateway for international commerce, is located in San Pedro Bay, 25 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. This thriving seaport not only sustains its competitive edge with record-setting cargo operations, but is also known for groundbreaking environmental initiatives, progressive security measures, diverse recreational and educational facilities, and emerging LA Waterfront.

The Port of Los Angeles encompasses 7,500 acres of land and water along 43 miles of waterfront. It features 27 passenger and cargo terminals, including automobile, breakbulk, container, dry and liquid bulk, multi-use, and warehouse facilities that handle billions of dollars’ worth of cargo each year.

Contacts

GE Transportation
Deia Campanelli
(773) 297-0482
Deia.Campanelli@ge.com

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Contacts

GE Transportation
Deia Campanelli
(773) 297-0482
Deia.Campanelli@ge.com