Oakland-based Matson Navigation has been honored for the seventh consecutive year with Logistics Management magazine’s annual Quest for Quality award in the Ocean Carrier category.
By Patrick Burnson
Published: October, 2009
Oakland-based Matson Navigation has been honored for the seventh consecutive year with Logistics Management magazine’s annual Quest for Quality award in the Ocean Carrier category. The annual survey is regarded in the transportation and logistics industry as the most important measure of customer satisfaction and performance excellence. Transportation service providers are rated by customers on five key criteria: on-time performance, value, customer service, information technology and equipment operations. Matson was presented with the award September 23 at the Quest for Quality awards dinner in Chicago, which coincides with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Annual Conference.
Matson was ranked the number one carrier for on-time performance in the survey. The distinction has been further emphasized by Drewry Shipping Consultants, which has consistently rated Matson as one of the world’s most reliable carriers. In a recent report, Drewry for the first time showed the long-term on-time performance of the top carriers; over the last 10 quarters, Matson ranked number one with an on-time percentage of 91 percent. According to the publication, a near record number of over 6,400 readers participated in the 2009 survey. The high participation rate has made the Quest for Quality annual survey the premier benchmark study for logistics and transportation quality service over the past 26 years.
Steamship Night to Bring Shipping Industry Together
Fleet Week, the Bay Area’s salute to military and commercial mariners, takes place October 9-11 along the waterfront. Bay Crossings readers may call Stephen Teatro at (360) 696-0112 for more details on the festivities. Readers are also encouraged to check out Steamship Night, a related event on October 1. This annual party features a no-host bar, fine dining and musical entertainment at the San Francisco Marriott; the main activity is catching up with shipping industry friends and colleagues. According the Pacific Transportation Association’s president, Barbra O’Neill, it’s not just about networking. She says it’s a way to show faith to the community when everyone is faced with the same economic challenges. And while the PTA does stage educational seminars during the year, this is not one of them. That means no powerpoints or speeches—just fellowship. Contact Jane Wisdom at (415) 420-6598 for more information.
Cal Maritime Earns High Rankings from National Publications
The California Maritime Academy received some very positive news from independent sources in the form of strong rankings from U.S. News & World Report and Forbes magazine’s annual surveys of the nation’s best undergraduate colleges and universities. The 2010 U.S. News survey, based on responses from academic faculty and deans with knowledge of specific institutions, again ranked Cal Maritime fifth among 17 ranked Baccalaureate schools in the western U.S.—second only to the U.S. Air Force Academy among public schools in that category. Cal Maritime was also chosen as one of the nation’s top 100 public colleges and universities (#61) for Forbes’ 2009 rankings of America’s Best Colleges—the only state maritime academy to make the list.
Cal Maritime President William B. Eisenhardt said the annual surveys are useful in tracking market perception over time. “Our focus on maritime trade and transportation, engineering, maritime policy, maritime security and the environment, and international business and logistics makes us unique in many ways. There are just seven maritime universities in the U.S. and we are the only one in the west, serving students from California and the western region, including the Pacific Rim. Our programs are challenging and we offer real strengths in leadership development and hands-on learning as part of our educational experience.”
