Future Ports 2050

Project Name: Future Ports 2050

Research team

• Professor Daryll Hull
• Professor Norma Harrison
• Peter Creeden (CWF Honorary Adjunct Fellow)

Project Summary

In the past decade, there have been unprecedented global corporate and technological shifts in the maritime sector. Work in Australian ports and beyond is fundamentally and directly affected by these changes. Work organisation and skills, knowledge and capabilities are being transformed beyond recognition. As international companies merge and reform themselves, re-creating themselves as supply chain operators rather than dedicated shipping, stevedoring or logistics groups, the impact on the nature and direction of work itself in these areas is overwhelming. The next two decades will be a tipping point for workforce development, skills and job design.

The Centre for Workforce Futures has determined to craft a group of like-minded academic and industry experts to address these questions. It will initially be formed under the umbrella of the Collaborative Research Agreement between Macquarie University and the Australian Maritime College. The network of experts will be identified via a series of informal meetings and industry roundtables over the coming months. The primary tasks are to more closely define the research questions, and to identify sources of funding for research in order to address the questions.

Research Themes for 2020

The Centre held a half day workshop in October 2019 at Macquarie University to discuss and debate potential relevant port sector research themes for HDR students to consider when undertaking a Masters of Research or a PhD within the Program.

Participants included representatives from Macquarie University, the Stevedoring, Port, Port Authorities, Federal government, non-government organisations, shipping lines, Trucking companies and industry advocates.

The workshop was facilitated by Prof Daryll Hull (Co-Director, Centre for Workforce Futures). Participants were asked to raise and discuss research ideas that would contribute to public debate, assist government and NGOs in decision-making, and aid in formulating strategy and policy within the wider supply chain or ports sector. Participants were also asked to consider the need for achievable research questions in terms of data and time constraints.

Five main research themes emerged from the workshop:

1. Ports productivity and its integral role in the wider supply chain (supply chains)
2. Impacts of future port developments in relation to urban planning (urban planning)
3. Alignment of the port strategy with the regional city or hub planning (Regional Development)
4. Impact of automation on port economic outcomes (e.g., productivity and workforce requirements)
5. Digitisation of the supply chain and the use of predictive analytics (Big Data)

Each of these research themes are further discussed below, along with potential research questions that could be explored within a Masters of Research or PhD under the Program.

1. Ports productivity and its integral role in the wider supply chain

Ports are integral elements in the supply chain. They are the primary node between the maritime, aviation, road and rail systems. Focus on the long supply chain of aligning these systems into a seamless ‘end-to-end supply chain’ requires a better understanding of the “last-mile” or interface between the mode issues.

Potential research questions include:

• What is the correlation between port pricing (current and future) and the port productivity improvements (landside/waterside)?
• How do we position future ports to be the focal point for domestic and regional (IMEX) supply chains?
• How can Australian ports secure a sustainable future in circular economy that demands reduction of waste in a low carbon world?
• What are the skills and requirements needed in a future port workforce?
• Are there alternative corporate/organisation models that would benefit a future port in the wider supply chain?

2. Impacts of future port developments on urban planning

Ports have traditionally been key investments and integrated in the city planning or urban developments. Many of the ports have been divested and sold to independent capital infrastructure investment funds and are not as integrated in local, state or federal governments. Managing and aligning the ports priorities to the wider urban planning requirements have taken on a new level of complexity.

Potential research questions include:

• What is the future of intermodal transport in and around ports in urban areas across Australia?
• What are the strategies to better align current and future ports with the emerging urban landscape?
• What is coastal shipping’s role in the national freight task, its impact on port growth and infrastructure, and impact on the workforce and surrounding supply chain?

3. Alignment of the port strategy with the regional city or hub planning

Ports are a central part of a wider integrated freight strategy. Building the right freight handling precinct that balances the need for the wider communities while driving a reduction in the cost of doing business by improving container and cargo productivity should be the ultimate aim of a well-developed urban planning system.

Efficient and reliable access to rail and road networks are essential to enable the streamlining and cost-effective transition of freight intermodally. Ports, by their very nature, must incorporate infrastructure, facilities and services which are in close proximity to possible warehouses and distribution centres to ensure the smooth consolidation or deconsolidation of the freight.

In order to assess the effectiveness of ports to the wider urban planning, the development of scenarios around alternative ‘international gateway’ or ‘hub’ port configurations would help test their effectiveness to the wider urban planning.

Potential questions include:

• How to create a port/park/city/region strategy that aligns all stakeholders and highlights the benefits for ports around Australia?
• Could regional ports thrive under a future open coastal shipping policy?
• How to assess the effectiveness of the current port configuration and examine possible alternatives

4. Impact of automation on port economic outcomes

Ageing populations, unattractive work, cost pressures, velocity requirements, and skills shortages are all are driving a push to automation. Smart infrastructures such as the role out of Internet of Things (IoT) devices will only accelerate the move towards automation. How do we harness these driving forces and best understand the role of automation and the benefits it will bring to the ports?

Potential questions include:

• What are the likely impacts and demographic changes to port community/industry in the wide scale application of automation technologies?
• Do emerging technologies support the diversification/gender balance of the port workforce?
• How does standardisation in truck (or other modes) configuration add or support improved automation at the port?
• What is the possible strategy of transitioning waterside/stevedoring workers to technology/office workers?
• What are the industrial relations impacts of automation in future ports?

5. Digitisation of the supply chain and the use of predictive analytics

Digitisation in the supply chain has been discussed for a few years but the relentless pressure on costs has forced most players in the supply chain to embrace the wave of digitisation and has brought predictive analytics into the forefront of how ports should optimise. Interoperability of systems across the transport modes are now urgently in need.

Potential questions include:

• Digitisation of the supply chain, predictive analytics and systems integration are progressing slowly. How can we use digitisation to drive collaboration in the supply chain?
• What does big data mean for organisation and management of ports in the future?
• What is the future of ports in a supply chain with real time information and comprehensive data?