Modernizing ports is essential for supply chain resilience

Eric Hoplin is chief executive officer of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors. All opinions are the author’s own.

Everything you enjoyed this past holiday season — from the gifts you received to the meals on your table — was made possible by a distributor who worked tirelessly to maintain a safe and efficient supply chain. And there’s a crucial, often unseen factor that enabled this smooth flow of goods: our ports remained open.

Yet, this stability was recently put at risk. The International Longshoremen’s Association once again were prepared to strike this month — potentially putting our economy on the line and risking roughly $4.3 billion per day, according to an Oct. 1 analysis by RSM U.S. — before ultimately coming to an agreement with the United States Maritime Alliance that does include automation. While this resolution rightly acknow…