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LOGISTICS
chain, running direct container shipments from Latin America all the way north. Part of that strategy is to reduce costs and carbon emissions, as well as lead times, and rail plays a big part in that strategy." Another crucial development includes the South Florida Logistics
Center, a 400-acre logistics complex that will be located adjacent to the Miami International Airport at the Hialeah Rail Yard Site. Florida commercial real estate company Flagler is leading the project,
and Florida East Coast Railway is partnering with them, says Yoshimura. "We believe the project is going to drive consolidation in the market,
from the mom and pop operations to the fragmented commodity deal- ers and brokers who offer various services, and put everything, including Customs, fumigation, distribution and fulfillment all under one roof."
Developments in other key gateways Bob Moran, CEO of Sataria Group, a 3PL and distribution firm, also sees a lot of potential for cold chain projects in Florida and elsewhere. Discussions have already taken place with the Port of Oakland (Cali- fornia) and Port Manatee (on Florida's Gulf Coast), to build refrigerated facilities on port property, he says, which would target floral imports, in particular. Another project in the works includes a plan to build a perish- able distribution center at Chicago's O'Hare airport. The O'Hare project would provide a Midwest gateway for air imports of floral products from the Netherlands and Latin America, says Moran. And, like the executives of Florida East Coast Railway, Moran is also an advocate of on-dock rail.
"If you're going to put a facility on the port,
you had better make it rail served, and you'd bet- ter make sure it has easy access to air freight," he emphasizes. Moran is a proponent of using rail for freight, and acknowledges the great strides the industry has made in recent years to improve service. "In large part, that's because railroads started to
work closer with ports. The combination of the two creates a lot of synergy." The role of railroads in the cold chain is only going to become more significant as better technology coupled with driver shortages in the trucking sector push more freight to railroads, adds Moran. "Better rail cars and tracking technology,
improvements in refrigeration technology, and more efficient reefer units are making it possible for shippers to move perishables on rail with con- fidence," he says. ◆
A Snapshot of U.S. Food
Imports and Exports • Northeast Asia is the largest market for U.S. food exports, including vegetables, meat, poultry, frozen fish, and oranges. • Vegetables and meat are the two fastest- growing commodity exports over the past 10 years. • Japan is the largest market for U.S. vegetable
exports.
• Hong Kong has surpassed Russia as the larg- est market for U.S. poultry exports.
• China is the fastest-growing market for U.S. meat exports. • Angola is the fastest-growing market overall
for U.S. food exports. • Central America is the largest source of U.S. refrigerated food products, including bananas and vegetables. • The volume of U.S. reefer imports has increased by 3.6 percent CAGR over the past 10 years (2001-2011). • The leading ocean carriers in the U.S. export reefer trade include: Maersk, APL, Hanjin, Ever- green, and OOCL. • The leading ocean carriers in the U.S. import reefer trade include: Dole Ocean Cargo, Great White Fleet, Maersk, APL, and Mediterranean Ship- ping Company (MSC).
28 MARCH 2012 • FOOD LOGISTICS www.foodlogistics.com