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"| Practical Ways to Cut ; EEE puCosts in’ Cargo Handling . Cargo Handi Conducted by H.E.STOCKER ol rel A at ing Executive is Needed or Efficient | erminal Operation T IS not sound to standardize on any one type of mechanical equip- ment to the exclusion of all others. Skids and lift trucks, trac- tors and trailers, fork trucks and pal- lets, conveyors, and two wheel hand trucks each perform certain operations more economically than any other type of equipment. In planning the operations of a terminal all types can profitably be considered and purchases be made on the facts determined as to the best known method of perform- ing each operation on the terminal. A general cargo handling operation is very complex; there are a large variety of operations performed and conditions are changing from day to day and hour to hour. Yet with all this complexity, the majority of ‘the operations are similar to operations performed on some other terminals. By analyzing these operations thor- oughly profitable knowledge is_ ob- tained. Equipment Hastily Selected In one case a large investment was made in an excellent type of equip- ment which is economical, however, only when used in conjunction with another type of equipment. One of the executives of the steamship com- pany saw’an operation using the first types of equipment and immediately wanted to use it on all his terminals without making certain that this was the one best method for the particular conditions existing on the terminals of his company. Simple purchase of mechanical 32 By H. E. Stocker equipment is not sufficient to get the best results. The method of using the equipment is important. This in- volves both the plan of operation, the organization set up and the manage- ment policies. Economical Cargo Handling In another case a large investment in equipment resulted in an increased cost per ton. This was because the equipment was not suited for the con- ditions on the terminal and the man- agement did not have sufficient un- derstanding of the fundamentals of economical cargo handling to make the best use of the equipment. In some instances a carefully worked out method utilizing hand trucks, directed by an organization well planned and governed by sound management pol- icies is more economical than provid- ing expensive mechanical equipment which is not used properly. In termi- nal operation organization and man- agement are of supreme importance. A New York shipping company op- erating a large terminal, has as the chief executive in charge of cargo handling a man whose principal ex- perience has been in accounting and finance. He is a man of high ability and is naturally clear headed. Con- sequently he has accomplished some excellent improvements in the cargo handling operation. However, because of his other duties, and his lack of experience in cargo handling, there is much which still could be done to reduce costs. Furthermore, the speed with which he has obtained results MARINE REvVIEw—J anuary, 1934 has been disappointing. Because of his lack of experience, it took him months to bring about faster handling of one commodity by using a different type sling. He did not know at the very start of his attempt to solve the problem that a certain type sling was used successfully in handling the same cargo at the loading ports. On some terminals with which the author is familiar, the chief deficiency is the lack of proper coordination of the pier organization of the steamship company, and the organization of the contracting stevedore who is loading and discharging the ships. Cargo is unloaded from trucks to the pier with- out much if any consideration of the next step of picking up the cargo and taking it upon the ship. Co-operating With the Stevedores The pier superintendent does not facilitate the whole operation by put- ting one or two men in a motor truck when cargo is being handled direct from the motor truck to the ship. The pier superintendent saves one or two men but the stevedore has to use one or two additional men or allow the operation to progress at a slower speed than if an adequate number of men were used. It is true that the pier superintendent’s weekly cost per ton is lower under the above arrangement, but ultimately at least that which is saved in pier costs and more is added to stevedoring costs, with resultant loss to the steamship company in the final analysis. The point of view of one of the best