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HERE COMES THE CARGO TIMOTHY J. GIBBONS, The Times-Union Four spokes of transportation wheel PORT TRUCKING RAIL AIR CARGO
Jacksonville's growing importance in the supply chain industry has lots of benefits for the city, but also comes with possible negative consequences. Here are some of the good and bad things that can happen as this industry sector expands. PROS More jobs: The growing number of packages being shipped to and through Jacksonville will require more workers to load and unload planes, ships, trucks and trains. There will also be a number of spin-off jobs, from the mechanics fixing those conveyances to the freight forwarders helping goods make their way through customs. Better brand identity: The Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce recently unveiled a new logo for the city, one that proclaims it to be America's Logistics Center. Although there are a number of industry sectors the city has long focused on, including back-office technical work and the medical field, the increased importance of the transportation industry and the high-profile announcements concerning Jacksonville help to put the area on the world map. Part of a globalized world: And speaking of the world map ... The transportation and logistics industry is a global one, and making a name for itself there will help the city attract attention across the board. The work Jacksonville does will be important to the rest of the U.S. and to importers and exporters around the world. CONS More congestion: Much of the stuff that those employers will be handling will find its way through the city on the back of trucks, filling up the big and small highways around the city. Although Jacksonville is prized for the three highways that meet near here - interstates 95, 10 and 75 - the roadway capacity, particularly through the downtown area, might have problems keeping up with the new demand. "Through here" doesn't equal "headquarters": Jacksonville is hanging its hat on the logistics and transportation companies that have regional or national headquarters here, companies like Ceva Logistics, CSX Corp., Landstar Systems Inc. and a number of shipping lines, primarily to Puerto Rico. Jacksonville's growth won't necessarily bring more of that type of involvement here, though: The biggest economic impact is going to come from the huge number of containers filled with Asian goods that flow through the port. Those items will be shipped from here to consumers, but there's no need for companies to have large executive presences here to oversee that. Heightened vulnerability: While plugging into the globe hooks Jacksonville up with larger markets, it also makes the city more vulnerable to broader economic woes. If the local economy depends on imports, what happens if the constantly weakening dollar causes imports to falter?
There's a larger number of companies involved with transporting goods in Jacksonville, from those that do it themselves, to those that hire other companies (or, in the case of a company like Landstar, hire individual contractors) to do the work. While there's no one central repository for Jacksonville-based logistics or transportation jobs in general, the Jacksonville Port Authority does run a Web site that includes a large swath of jobs related to the port. As of the end of October, the site - jaxportjobs.com - had more than 35,000 registered users who had 1,047 active resumes posted on the site.
Container: Big metal boxes invented 50 years ago that have revolutionized the shipping industry and, indeed, the entire economy. Containerization of goods is what allows for imports to be shipped easily to America - compared to individual items being loaded and unloaded by hand - setting up everything from just-in-time manufacturing to the variety of Chinese-made items filling most retail stores. (Containers are different from the trailers seen being pulled by big trucks on the highway, although trucks do transport shipping containers on a flatbed-like system.) TEUs: Twenty-foot equivalent units. All shipping containers are either 20 feet or 40 feet long. The capacity of ships and ports are measured in the equivalent of 20-foot containers. (Although 40-foot-long ones have become more common.) Logistics: According to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, logistics is the "part of the supply chain process that plans, implements, and controls the efficient, effective flow and storage of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the point of consumption in order to meet customers' requirements." More simply, it's the job of getting stuff from one person to another, using warehouses, various modes of transportation and other forms of planning. 3PL: Third-party logistics. Much of the logistics work needed by companies is now outsourced, so that Ford Motor Co., for example, doesn't have to worry itself about getting parts delivered from its suppliers, but instead turns to Ceva Logistics to take care of that job. DC: Distribution centers. DCs are basically warehouses, except that "warehouse" implies that goods are simply stored there, while distribution centers are a more active part of the supply chain. Jacksonville is expected to see a growing number of distribution centers accepting shipments coming in through the port, sorting the goods and then shipping them back to retailers. Emily Barnes / The Florida Times-Union |
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