LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Eagle Marine Services (EMS), operator of one of the largest terminals in the Twin Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, is five months into its value creation program that focuses on generating sustainable, highly productive terminal services to customers. The aggressive business plan includes over $70 million in investments in 2018 in premier equipment and technology, a figure expected to double in the coming years. By the conclusion of the value creation program, EMS expects to be the best terminal operator in San Pedro Bay, with dramatically improved truck turn times and vessel productivity.
Sean Pierce, President and CEO of EMS and P5 Infrastructure, is overseeing the execution of the business plan. He stated, “We refer to Q1 2018 as our pre-season; we’ve started the first quarter of the game and already we’re putting points on the board with the implementation of major structural and process changes and new exciting equipment and technology orders coming in that will change the way we do business in the future.”
Specifically, the “pre-season” has included orders for four new ZPMC super-post panamax quay cranes, six Mitsui hybrid rubber-tyred gantries, eighteen Taylor top handlers and an assortment of support equipment. EMS will implement the Navis N4 terminal operating system in 2018 which will be fully integrated with the Mi-Jack real-time locating system (RTLS) and ABB’s next generation crane and gate optical character recognition (OCR) systems. With the largest cranes in San Pedro Bay in place and options on more for 2020, EMS will be well equipped to handle ultra large container vessels. These investments increase the terminal’s capacity and the velocity with which containers may be handled, thereby delivering a faster and improved experience to more customers. EMS anticipates these investments will help it exceed throughput of 2.0 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) for the year.
Mr. Pierce added, “Our first major goal is to be number one in volume and quality of service in the San Pedro Bay port complex, and we want to reach that position faster than any company has done before.” EMS is the home terminal for APL and CMA CGM in Los Angeles and Long Beach; global lines that continue to expand by introducing new and innovative services to the West Coast.
“The new ZPMC quay cranes, arriving early in Q1 of 2019 and outfitted with ABB components, will allow EMS to keep pace with the growing sizes of vessels, which may exceed 18,000 TEU in the not-too-distant future,” said Mr. Pierce. EMS also expects to grow geographically with the ability to expand into a 40-acre tract of land behind 300 meters of potential new berth and nearly double the capacity for rail.
Executing on its value creation program, EMS reduced average truck turn times by nearly 30% in April compared to the previous month, according to HTA figures. These improvements are further substantiated by EMS data, which shows a single transaction trending down past the 40- minute mark and 60 minutes for dual transactions. According to Mr. Pierce, “The overall velocity of the terminal in all areas has significantly increased since completing the major components of the first phase of our value creation strategy and these efficiencies trends will continue. The best part is that we have a solid team that is strongly grounded in a safety-first mindset. Both management and unions are working hard to put EMS at the forefront for efficiency and we are seeing very positive, sustainable results.”
About Eagle Marine Services (EMS)
Eagle Marine Services is the operator of a container terminal with a long-term concession located at Pier 300 in the Port of Los Angeles, providing container and general cargo handling services to shipping lines including stevedoring, intermodal and truck services, storage and maintenance.