2016 Azbee Awards of Excellence
Category
Print > News Analysis > New England
Awarded to
Mark Solomon, Executive Editor - News
Entry details
"Regrets, recriminations, diversions: the legacy of bad times at West Coast ports"
Issue date (if applicable): 4/1/2015
Publication name: DC Velocity
Publishing company: Agile Business Media
Website home page: http://www.dcvelocity.com
Please describe the publication's mission and readership:
Time was when the term “distribution center” (DC) was virtually synonymous with “warehouse”—a place for storing and stockpiling products and materials. Not so any more. Today’s DC may resemble the traditional warehouse in that it has four walls, truck bays and docks, but what goes on inside is very different. The contemporary DC houses a fast-paced operation that keeps materials moving through the facility and across the docks in a continuous flow, using high-tech systems to track and move inventory right out to waiting carriers.
The managers who run these centers, DC Velocity’s readers, are charged with keeping all these parts moving. They oversee external functions like inbound and outbound transportation as well as the internal functions of moving, storing, and handling materials. They select and manage the people, equipment, and systems that keep the operation humming. DC Velocity’s mission is to provide its readers—both DC operations managers and executive-level staff—with information they need to fulfill these wide-ranging responsibilities.
Please describe the enterprising work that went into this entry and its significance or impact on readers:
This story explored the impact of a 2014-15 contractual dispute between waterfront labor and management on the U.S. West Coast. Most stories about the dispute focused on its impact on U.S. imports. We focused on the export side, because it directly impacted U.S. global competitiveness and put exporters’ business at risk, as foreign customers could choose other production.
The lead focuses on the Port of Oakland. That port depends heavily on exporters, whose shipments—largely agricultural products—were adversely affected by massive delays. And as the dispute was going on, the port was attempting to move forward with its plan to convert an old military base into a logistics hub that would dramatically improve the flow of export and import traffic among ships, railroads, and trucks.
As a corollary, the story explored the damage done to relations between waterfront labor and management. West Coast ports face structural problems in efficiently processing massive amounts of import and export cargoes. The dispute amplified those problems, but failed to address or resolve them.
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"Regrets, recriminations, diversions: the legacy of bad times at West Coast ports"
Category
Print > News Analysis > New England
Description
Publication name:
DC Velocity
Company:
Agile Business Media
Winner Status
- Regional Bronze Award
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