Amid growing complaints from businesses about continued supply chain disruptions, port operator Kingston Wharves Limited (KWL) said it foresees no major backlog in cargos, especially as it puts more measures in place to have Christmas supplies delivered on time this year.

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer this week, CEO of KWL Mark Williams said that with no hiccups being experienced at the local port, the expectation is for there to be a smooth flow in the delivery of most goods in the lead up to the busy Yuletide season.

“Much of the large manufacturers would have already brought in their goods and for those whose goods have not yet been delivered, I’m sure those are now on the sea heading in. Currently we have no backlog at the port as things are going smoothly and we expect that to continue for the next three weeks into the new year,” he told the Business Observer.

Further commenting on possible disruptions with air freight cargo, Williams said that while persons buying online may also expect standard delays customary with this time, the expectation is for there to be no real bottleneck or serious backlogs in these supplies as couriers themselves find creative ways to navigate challenges to have customer receive their goods on time.

Global supply chain systems after bouncing back from pandemic-induced shocks have also in recent times had to deal with dock worker strikes and some major trade route disruptions, much of which have further threatened to spiral things out of control. Despite the challenges, systems worldwide have, however, continued to witness some ease in pressure as customers and businesses embark on unprecedented levels of early ordering to reduce backlogs.

Williams said that with global systems less likely to return to the same working order that existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the face of evolving trends and unpredictable changes in the market, what will become increasingly more important is for manufacturers to diversify their logistic arrangements.

“The pandemic has already taught us this lesson very well and with what is now happening in the US, with President-elect Trump [threatening] to impose tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico, this will be another of those things that will further affect supply chains. However, having learnt from past challenges, I don’t expect too much changes as a result of this,” he said.

KWL, which operates a multi-purpose port terminal, is a large regional player in the trade and logistics arena which can facilitate connections with more than 40 ports around the world. Following a series of multimillion-dollar infrastructural work done across its operation in the last few years, the company, Williams said, continues to tighten up on its processes to ensure greater efficiency during the Christmas period.

“We have put in place three to four extended shifts going up until 10 pm in which our staff along with those from the Jamaica Customs can do the scanning of containers, so that customers can be able to get their goods cleared much quicker. From December 7 we will also be opening every Saturday until Christmas to facilitate the clearance of cargo from the warehouse and left-hand container load side. On the terminal side, we continue to have extended opening hours so that those large businesses/manufacturers can have enough time to take their full container loads. We’ve also employed additional persons in our warehouses so that we can move much quicker and have more hands on deck to facilitate the clearance of cargo,” the CEO said.

Further underscoring the efficiency of its Click N Collect online service, the use of this service, Williams said, should likewise help to ensure there is much seamless delivery, “We encourage people to utilise this platform to cut down on long wait times.”

KWL, after almost eight decades of operations, the CEO said, will be moving to undertake more capital investments even after having recently completing the mega berth seven upgrade and several other major infrastructural development projects.

“This type of business is very capital-intensive and so going into 2025…we will be retooling as we look to buy one or two more cranes, which will cost about £7 million each. We’ve already ordered new equipment and we have some other capital projects lined up. With next year being our 80th anniversary, there will be lots more on the table for us to release,” Williams said.