Dive Brief:

• The U.S. Department of Commerce, along with the USC Marshall Center for Global Supply Chain Management formed a partnership to ramp up global competitiveness through digitalization of the nation’s supply chains, reports Commerce.gov.
• At the Port Community IT Systems Exhibition and Technology Challenge symposium scheduled at USC next month, port representatives, supply chain organizations, academics and policy leaders, will explore using digital innovations to increase port efficiency, transparency, and reliability. 
• Startups and students will compete for $15,000 in prizes for innovations in applications and information.

Dive Insight:

It's often said the logistics industry is ripe for disruption. Ports, for example, rely on down-to-the-minute coordination of vessels, trains, trucks and longshoremen to move thousands of shipments in an out on a daily basis.

Forecasting, scheduling and resource management solutions are all pivotal to this endeavor, yet when it comes to new technology, the industry has lagged. The Port of Montreal recently showed how a $1 million contribution towards the development of a web-based port TMS could help significantly reduce truck congestion and emissions by optimizing transport routes.

Small fixes like these to automate redundant tasks should help ports optimize their productivity. The Department of Commerce's endorsement and partnership with the West Coast port signals the national importance of such initiatives.