Ports are some of the busiest thoroughfares in the freight-handling industry. To keep ports running efficiently, port operations managers must invest in and use value-driven materials-handling equipment. An operational assessment can help port managers make informed decisions about equipment upgrades.

What Is an Operational Assessment?

In a port, an operational assessment can refer to any number of evaluations and tests across various departments. With regards to equipment, however, an operational assessment provides a cost-benefit analysis port managers can use to invest in cost-effective and energy-efficient equipment. In the long run, purchasing or leasing new equipment may make more financial sense than continuing to rely on old, material-specific, and maintenance-heavy cranes/material handlers. 

Benefits of Operational Assessments

An operational assessment provides a way to explore the advantages of an equipment upgrade prior to investing. An operational assessment can:

• Connect you with port equipment experts. Discuss your port’s needs, expectations, and productivity rates with someone who understands port operations and the heavy equipment industry. Even if you decide not to invest in new equipment right away, you’ll come away from the assessment with a connection to a valuable equipment resource. 

• Uncover weak points. The transportation industry is changing rapidly. Ports that can’t perform reliably in a competitive marketplace can lose business to other ports or air freight-handling companies. An operational assessment provides a clear picture of productivity weaknesses you can use to improve onsite performance.

• Deliver accurate ROI projections. Port equipment represents a major investment, but failing to upgrade could cost more over time. An operational assessment will clarify the true cost of unoptimized productivity as well as the projected savings/earnings a port could earn with better equipment.

Port efficiency depends largely on equipment performance. Complete an operational assessment to learn more about the impact of your current port equipment on port cash flow.

Operational Assessments from Sennebogen

Sennebogen offers prospective clients operational assessments to provide a clear picture of the value of our equipment. We sell more than port equipment; we sell a better port experience. When you talk with our port specialist, David LaFleur, he will send over an equipment questionnaire to start the assessment. The entire process takes less than a week on average and can give you the decision-making information you need regarding port-efficiency and equipment upgrades. During the port-operational assessment, we rely on our in-house engineers to develop customized recommendations based on the information you provide.

We look at the tons-per-hour the equipment can load/unload to determine productivity, and the average operating costs associated with a specific piece of equipment to develop a complete financial assessment. With information about your productivity goals and current expenses, our team can provide useful equipment recommendations. Our port specialist works closely alongside our in-house engineers to develop accurate ROI analyses.

At Sennebogen, our goal is to help you get the most out of the equipment the port relies on every day. With a completed assessment in hand, our team will travel to you to review the outcome of the assessment and make changes as needed. Our engineer will deliver a planning drawing to help port decision makers visualize recommended changes. At the end of the assessment, you will know what kind of equipment you need to take port performance to the next level and achieve complete operational efficiency.

When to Request an Operational Assessment

Not all ports need operational assessments to reach their goals. You may not need an operational assessment if your port already uses state-of-the-art equipment that is performing properly. You may, however, want to request an operational assessment if port circumstances change. If you’re currently using cranes/material-handling equipment never intended for a particular material, performance may suffer. Consider an operational assessment to evaluate how any operational changes impact productivity levels.

Sennebogen handles operational assessment requests for most cargo-handling ports. The only request we cannot accommodate is a request for shipping container equipment. Our company does not offer shipping container-handling equipment.

 Discover More Value in Your Port Today

Generate more revenue next year with the right equipment for your port. An operational assessment offers a great way to learn more about the benefits of an equipment investment. With actionable insights in hand, your operations team can choose the equipment that will provide the most value over time. Save time, energy, and money with a reliable, state-of-the-art piece of port equipment. To schedule your operational assessment, reach out to Sennebogen today.

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