Page 21 - Port of Baltimore Magazine Nov/Dec 2012

To subscribe or renew, visitwww.marylandports.com November/December 2012 ■ The Port of Baltimore [19]
QCHAT
A key factor in the Port of Baltimore’s growing
dominance in the automotive sector is its
innovative approach to reducing damage. The
Quality Handling Action Team (QCHAT) was
founded in 1997 and has become a model for
cooperation between stakeholders.
QCHAT brings together everyone involved
in the movement of vehicles through the Port.
Each month, the automotive manufacturers
sit side by side with representatives from
the steamship companies, stevedores,
longshoremen, vehicle processors and
truckers to address concerns and advance
ideas for improving quality.
This close interaction between the
different members of the team fosters
personal relationships among diverse sectors
of the port community, giving them a “big
picture” view of operations.
“This increased awareness and
perspective goes a long way to streamline
day-to-day business and focuses
communications for more effective dealings
at all levels allowing space for new
possibilities to be formulated,” said Barbara
Leight, Manager of the Quality Department at
the Maryland Port Administration (MPA) and
the team’s facilitator.
QCHAT also has teams devoted to
roll-on/roll-off (ro/ro) cargo and container
handling. The annual Ro/Ro Rodeo, conceived
by QCHAT, is essentially a two-day training
session with manufacturers giving hands-on
demonstrations to the longshoremen who
transport the vehicles around the Port.
QCHAT’s initiatives have raised awareness
across the board and contributed to the
reduction of damage.
~ By Kathy Bergren Smith
just wash the car and put a dealer label
on it, or go so far as to add a spoiler, un-
dercoating “or whatever the manufacturer
deems necessary,” Colbeck said.
Automobiles, Colbeck noted, are sensi-
tive to handling. “You have a 6,000-pound
piece of polished machinery that is com-
pleted and ready for the customer,” he
said. Moving cars comes down to what he
jokingly calls the Holy Trinity — time, cost
and quality. “How quickly can you get it to
them without damage and at what price?”
Colbeck added that Auto Warehousing
Company is “excited for the opportunity”
to be back in Baltimore. “We find the Port
of Baltimore highly professional and geared
toward the needs of auto processors and
manufacturers,” he said.
Speed, Options and Efficiency
For Mitsubishi, the Port’s access to the
Midwest and Mid-Atlantic is key. “That it’s
the closest (port) to our plant is a big help,”
said Curt Parrish, Port Operations Manager
for Logistics and Operations.
Having both highway and rail access
is imperative; the Port, located just off
I-95, has two on-dock railroads, CSX and
Norfolk Southern. And, of course, ocean
carriers are just as accessible. “Baltimore
has plenty of berths; almost all the vessel
lines call on Baltimore, and that helps
us pick and choose,” Parrish said. “The
biggest thing is there are a lot of options
with vessel calls and railroads and auto
processing, and that gives us a lot of flex-
ibility; it gives us those abilities to be more
efficient ... and be cost-effective.”
When it comes to exporting, he noted,
“Our numbers are going to be increasing,
and that will be a big plus for the Port.”
Exports also come through the Port
from Ford, which sells its popular Explorer
and Taurus models overseas to numer-
ous countries. Meanwhile, the company
imports the Transit Connect, a small utility
van. In both directions, Ford utilizes pro-
cessing centers to modify the vehicles for
each particular country’s specifications.
Denny Carpenter, Vice President of
Ford Trading Company and Logistics
Department Manager of Ford Motor
Company International, noted that auto
manufacturers are always looking to move
cars as fast and as efficiently as possible.
“What makes the Port cost-efficient is
that you have two good rail options and
it’s in the heart of our distribution to the
Northeast,” Carpenter explained.
Working Together
Chrysler and GM also use the Port, which
serves 17 foreign and domestic vehicle
manufacturers. John Griffin, Chrysler’s
Manager for International Port Operations,
cites a study done more than 20 years ago
that looked at all of the nation’s ports
relative to Chrysler’s facilities. Baltimore
emerged as the best option. “For the inland
route, it has an ideal location,” Griffin said.
“It’s able to handle the volume that comes
from all of our locations.”
But it’s not just the location that appeals
to Chrysler. “I’ve always felt that Baltimore
does a fantastic job of supporting its
customer base. QCHAT signifies a true
desire to satisfy its customers,” Griffin said.
“The Port of Baltimore truly is a place where
there’s the ability for everyone to compete
with one another, but at the same time,
there’s the ability to work together — the goal
is for more business to come to Baltimore.”
He laughs as he notes that other car
companies are envious of his location at
the Port, where Chrysler has been for many
years. “You have everybody always looking
to come to Baltimore.”
New Volvos were on some of the ships
diverted from Newark to Baltimore because
of Superstorm Sandy. Volvo, which has a
contract with processor AMPORTS, nor-
mally uses the Port when sending cars to
the Baltimore area and the Midwest. But
during the storm’s disruption, cars bound for
the Northeast came in through Baltimore.
“We bring in our cars based on logistics
— where they need to be moved to,” said
Anthony DiTonno, Port Quality Manager for
Volvo Cars in North America.
Volvo keeps a quality manager on site
at each location. “Volvo has a specific way
we like to handle cars, and AMPORTS is
doing a good job there,” he said.
Quality Handling
Rich Heintzelman, Executive Vice President
and Head of Commercial, Wallenius
Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) Americas,
acknowledged that Baltimore is a “prime
port location” with major railroad access
and service. In addition, “The Port has
successfully focused on developing ro/ro
[roll-on/roll-off] as one of its core cargo
segments, and in so doing has enabled
itself to become the leader in this area.”
Heintzelman further noted that “the
MPA has supported WWL with infrastruc-
ture development for both our terminal and
berths over the past 11 years.”
The ultimate success of the Port
depends on the people driving the cars on
and off the ships and around the terminals.
Heintzelman says Baltimore is “world-
class” in this regard — a sentiment shared
by others.
“The handling of cars is exceptional;
they’re unique in that respect,” said
Ford’s Carpenter. “The other key aspect
Baltimore has that the other ports don’t
have is the active leadership of people like
[MPA Executive Director] Jim White and
his team, of meeting with customers and
having first-hand knowledge of our busi-
ness. That’s critical in making the right
decisions as to modifiers and ocean car-
riers. There’s no other Port that does it as
well as the Port of Baltimore.”