Page 12 - Port Of Hamburg Magazine 01.2018

■ 50 YEARS OF CONTAINERS IN HAMBURG
“Flexibility will become the crucial competitive factor”
Three questions on ‘Port of the Future’ to Henning Kinkhorst, CEO and Partner at Hamburg Port Consulting (HPC)
Port of Hamburg Magazine (PoHM): The topic of digitalization has now even reached the port busi- ness. Is the sector jumping on a bandwagon or is there more to it than that?
Kinkhorst: Ports confront tremendous challenges. They will not master them without digitalization. The focus is no longer on eliminating capacity bottlenecks
I also see plenty of opportunities for using drones. In the near future, these could take over intra-ter- minal container transport. Autonomous trucks and ships will also become reality and largely dictate traffic services.
PoHM: So will nothing remain of the “old” port world?
Kinkhorst: Hinterland infrastructure will long re- main one of the most crucial competitive factors. And the container will remain the universal yard- stick for freight transport. Yet that should not pre- vent us from considering the question: Apart from the container, what else is coming?
The container will remain the universal yardstick for freight transport
but on boosting the ef - ciency of existing infra- structure. Creating high volatility in freight ows, robotics and 3D printing will also become more important. For ports, ex- ibility will be the crucial competitive factor.
PoHM: Apart from digitalization, are there other buzzwords for describing the port of the future? Kinkhorst: They are closely related to digitali- zation: Electrification and automation will make ports environmentally friendlier. Even now, HHLA Container Terminal Altenwerder’s transport sys- tems include unmanned, battery-driven vehicles.
Henning Kinkhorst
of HPC Hamburg Port Consulting
Hamburg Port Consulting
HPC Hamburg Port Consulting was founded in 1976 and is one of the world’s leading port and transport consultancies. Its customers include private compa- nies, institutional clients, ministries and government agencies. Among the areas where HPC offers its services are port management, planning/simulation, financial analysis, privatization and engineering & IT solutions. HPC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ham- burger Hafen und Logistics AG (HHLA).
 www.hamburgportconsulting.de
12 | Port of Hamburg Magazine | March 2018
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