ants. According to real estate and
industrial services giant Jones Lang
LaSalle (JLL), the “net absorption” of
Savannah’s warehouse and distribu-
tion center space stood at a positive
1. 14 million square feet at the end of
2010, meaning more space was being
occupied than was being returned to
the market. Savannah’s industrial
vacancy rate stood at 16 percent in
2010, down from 18 percent in 2009.
YOUR SOLUTION
For over 60 years, American Baler Company has been
constructing more than equipment. We are manufacturing
advanced solutions that will most effectively serve your
business operations. Engineered specifically for distribution
centers to handle setup boxes, our low-volume to high-production balers have the ability to process materials
efficiently and provide the most optimal results for your
productivity. Our balers yield denser bales and deliver
the lowest total cost per bale - every time.
JLL calls a “landlord-favorable” market by
2013 or 2014 due to the absence of so-called spec construction and as “
impressive” port volumes attract more shippers.
Few would dispute Savannah’s importance on the statewide, regional, or
national stage. Yet if events unfolding over
the next year or so don’t break right for
the port, it may find its relevance to shippers and consignees—and its edge over its
rivals—begin to diminish.
In August 2014, Panama is scheduled to
complete the much-publicized $5.2 billion expansion of the legendary canal that
joins the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The
project will deepen the canal by as much
as 10 feet, while new lock construction
will enable it to accommodate ships built
to carry a maximum of 12,600 TEUs, up
from a current maximum of 5,100 TEUs.
The expansion promises compelling
economies of scale for the seagoing supply chain because carriers can move more
containers per vessel through the canal
than ever before. It could also permanently reshape shipping patterns if importers
that would normally bring Asian-origi-nating ocean cargo in through West Coast
ports for movement inland via surface
transport, instead opt for a less-costly all-water route for drop-off at East and Gulf
Coast ports. Only 30 percent of all seagoing cargoes are discharged at points east
of the Mississippi, although 70 percent of
the U.S. population lives there.
The difference is in the name.
DC Series Baler
americanbaler.com • sales@americanbaler.com
800.843.7512 • Bellevue OH
GETTING READY FOR “BIGGER BOATS”
Ship order books reflect what lies ahead.
At present, about 80 percent of containerships on order are giant ships that are too
big to move through the Panama Canal as
it’s currently configured. When fully
loaded with anywhere from 8,000 to
12,000 TEUs, these so-called post-Panamax vessels will require channels
deeper than most U.S. ports currently
have. As a result, a number of ports have
begun significant dredging programs to
prepare for the bigger ships.
Georgia’s port interests don’t need to be
reminded of what’s at stake, especially
since 57 percent of Savannah’s throughput in 2010 transited the canal. Yet at a
depth of only 42 feet at its channel, the
port needs an additional six feet to
