Quote:
Originally Posted by noclue
What kind of automation will help the port but the union is opposed to?
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Any and all kinds.
For example Deltaport had some new cantilever rail mounted gantry cranes. That was key part of their Deltaport densification project (drep). Union fought them tooth and nail until they promised that all existing crane drivers jobs will be protected and it won’t lead to any job cuts.
With this new system it’s pretty much automatic. The computer does 99 percent of the work and the operator sits inside a air conditioned room press a single button to confirm the move. They can go into manual mode but why bother. Of course the next step is to remove the human element.
If you look at other international port terminals they are also fully automated. There’s no longshore on the berth almost. The union fears this of course but how long can they strangle hold progress is up to the politicians.
Average North American moves per hour are at 27-30. Average Asia moves are well exceeding 35+. Automation and lack of these unions yields much bigger productivity gains. Deltaport barely can crack 24 so even below North American standards.