February 19, 2021

East Coast Logistics Growth, Interview with Jared Crane, RVP East.

Jared Crane has recently taken the position of managing the East Region, North America at Crane Worldwide Logistics. 

Previously, Jared held Director of Business Development and Vice President of Global Sales positions within the company and has extensive experience in the supply chain industry. Jared recently took part in our 'Coffee with Crane' podcast series discussing plans for the future in the East Region and how Crane Worldwide continues to partner with its clients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jared is based at Crane Worldwide Logistics' head office in Houston, Texas. Below is an exert from the podcast interview. 

When did you realize you wanted a career at Crane Worldwide Logistics? 

I've been around logistics my whole life and when the team created Crane Worldwide Logistics back in 2008, I knew they were creating a very special logistics business. I've always seen logistics as a fun and exciting global business. I'm really happy to be a part of the team, especially today, and getting more involved. 

How are you enjoying your new role in the East Region, USA?

We have a lot to do in 2021 in the East Region here in North America. I'm working closely with the clients and our great group of employees. We have some exciting plans for growth on the agenda in 2021, particularly growing our contract logistics footprint across the East region including warehousing in Cincinnati, additional storage capacity in Miami, and New Jersey, to name a few. We are looking forward to it.

2020 was a difficult year for many, how was the East Coast impacted during the pandemic? 

As we all know, 2020 profoundly impacted business around the world. At Crane Worldwide, we increased our communications both internally, and importantly externally, ensuring the latest logistics market updates were available to our clients to highlight the disruption in air freight, ocean freight, and trucking markets. It was an uncertain time and we relied upon teamwork and collaboration to confront the challenges that our clients and our business were facing. An example being at the time of a PPE shortage, we brought PPE to the market, procuring it and selling it, as well as shipping the products around the world for our clients. It was important to keep business moving.

Do you see any long-lasting impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic on importing and exporting the East Region?

Forecasting and planning was a major issue for many international operations during the pandemic, and I believe many companies recognized that agility in the supply chain needs to be a high priority. If you look at diversification of routings, the Port of Savannah and the East Coast ports will be looked at as a viable logistics solution for our clients that have typically used the West Coast for example. Also, I think global manufacturing capabilities will be reviewed as well as sourcing going forward, introducing more flexibility into supply chains around the world. 

In three words, how can Crane Worldwide support our client's resilience in their supply chain? 

I would highlight partnership, flexibility, and responsiveness as my three words. I like to use the word supply chain partnership as we look for a sustainable solution in the long term. I think becoming a part of our client's business and our client becoming part of ours is mutually beneficial. It takes teamwork and it makes for great business and great relationships. 

The West Coast has seen major port congestion, have you seen any clients transfer to the East? 

We have seen clients re-route to the East Coast and using our long-haul trucking service to reach the west coast. There are also rail service options out of Savannah that are moving to the West Coast and I think it is going to play a big part in the solution going forward. We are excited about the opportunity. 

You can listen to the full 'Coffee with Crane' podcast series on Spotify, Google Podcast, or Apple Podcast.

Crane Worldwide Logistics operates globally in 120 locations, across 30 countries.

You can view our interactive map, which highlights our operations and facilities in the East Coast region should you wish to learn more.