In Latin America, where some ports have had a 30-year backlog in use of technology compared to vanguard facilities in Europe, Asia and the United States, modernization projects in countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Peru today seek implementation of leading-edge innovations that better position these ports in the global market.
Technologies now being applied in Latin America to improve processes and service quality include handheld mobile solutions with narrowband frequencies; systems for optical character recognition scanning and load control customs; radio frequency identification device equipment for vehicular access; WiMAX networks in order to interconnect stores; and simulators for training and certifying crane operators.
All of this helps Latin American ports to be better positioned in the international market thanks to the adoption of technology, which radically improves processes and service quality.
"I have witnessed how improvements in information communication technologies have made my country a leader," said Victor Castaņeda, general director of Castacom del Peru, S.A., a Lima, Peru-based firm providing consultancy and project management services. "These reforms modernized Peru's government, whose ultimate aim is to facilitate citizen access to its services through cyberspace, in a quicker and more effective way than traditional institutions."
One example is the concept of "e-government," the use of information communication technologies for easy access to online services offered by the government to the community in a fast and secure way. These advancements have been taken very seriously by Peru's national port authority, Empresa Nacional de Puertos S.A., or ENAPU, with ports sharing common objectives, looking to create more efficient procedures to save consumers time and money.
Nonetheless, according to Mr. Castaņeda, there is still a dearth of information communication technology projects in Peru. He noted that ports and merchants from the supply chain need to maintain their operations on an around-the-clock basis. Mr. Castaņeda said swift implementation of projects such as Ventanilla Unica Portuaria and Ventanilla Unica de Comercio Exterior, or VUCE for short, can address such concerns.
"Ports need a clear and well-defined methodology that seeks to optimize organization and drive it steady and secure in the new digital economy," Mr. Castaņeda said. "From my experience, we should keep our staff from the beginning of these projects, and not depend so much on the outsourcing of technology, because in the medium term it would provide us with well-trained employees more involved in the future direction of new technology projects."
Latin American ports should, according to Mr. Castaņeda, include at least three major projects in their technology and innovation plans:
- Automatic payments to agents through the Web portals of specific banks;
- Access to all the personalized information of the shipment; and
- Initiation of the "virtual office" concept, through which customers can easily conduct transactions online.
Benefits to the customers and the organization may include reduction in the administrative costs generated by the steps that lead to the fulfillment of tax obligations.
"Finally," Mr. Castaņeda said, "economic development in Latin American countries should not surpass the port development, and governments should not sign commercial treaties with political purposes without careful previous planning."
