Multi Modal Conference focuses on faster, cheaper, greener flow of goods
The Commercial Appeal
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Memphis is one of only three cities with five Class I railroads, along with Chicago and New Orleans. Railroads are emerging as greener, environmentally speaking, than other transportation modes.
The challenge is to make sure all modes of transportation are well connected to each other, said keynote speaker Joe Waldo, a global trade and transportation consultant with IHS Global Insights.That doesn't necessarily mean more roads or lanes, though.
"What's going to matter here is not so much that you build physical infrastructure, but that you make sure that what you have can be gotten to and away from and between much easier," Waldo said.
He said technology is helping unclog congested traffic arteries serving ports in Canada and Asia. He suggested perhaps Lamar Avenue would benefit from a high-tech solution.
Advocates of runways, railroads, rivers and roads intersected at The Peabody Monday.
Organizers of the conference said it was all about a faster, better, cheaper, greener flow of goods through Memphis.
About 220 people attended, representing industry titans like FedEx and BNSF Railroad, warehouse and distribution companies and providers of services like warehouse security and wireless inventory tracking.
"All the actors in the process are here, and they're actively engaged in networking, connecting and interacting," said Bob Goodson, president of the Memphis World Trade Club, the event organizer.
"The good thing is Memphis is positioned to move forward and capitalize on the assets that are available to us," said Goodson, a process improvement adviser at FedEx. "This kind of conference brings all the people together and helps make that happen."
Glen Harckum, director of national accounts freight forwarding for Katt Worldwide Logistics, said, "It's a conference that was put together to bring many of the transportation modes together with the objective of better understanding how goods move through the supply chain and the global challenges facing the industry."
Monday was devoted to air and rail logistics. The conference focuses on maritime and truck transportation today.
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