The Georgia Ports Authority, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics signed a Memorandum of Understanding on July 31 at the Port of Savannah that creates a new relationship aimed at supporting the state’s logistics industry in economic development, research, and education.

“For years, Georgia Tech has been honored to work together with the Ports Authority, Governor Nathan Deal’s office, and business and government throughout the state in logistics, transportation, manufacturing, and education to strengthen our State economy and create jobs,” said Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson. “We are pleased to further solidify this partnership to benefit Georgia’s transportation and logistics industry.”

The goal of the MOU is to bring advanced research, evolving global logistics trends, and analysis from the world to Savannah. By tapping into the hands-on expertise at GPA and the Center of Innovation for Logistics — as well as the high-tech analysis and research at Georgia Tech’s Supply Chain and Logistics Institute — cargo owners and third-party logistics providers will gain superior insight into everything from when and where to build infrastructure to improved efficiency in cargo routing.

“Georgia Tech’s Supply Chain & Logistics Institute has established logistics improvement partnerships in global trade hubs such as Rotterdam, Singapore, Shenzhen, and Panama,” said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood.   “I am delighted to announce that for their first such agreement with a port authority in the Western Hemisphere, they have chosen an organization that is in their own state of Georgia.”

Georgia Tech’s Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering has been ranked No. 1 in the country for the past 28 years, and Georgia Tech is recognized as one of the leading research universities in the world.

Matt Markham, director of the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics, said the collaborative effort further strengthens the state’s position as an economic development leader.

“Most companies that choose Georgia as their home depend on its world-class logistics for their success,” Markham said. “Our new relationship builds on our center’s goal of providing company-specific analyses and facilitating connections between logistics providers and potential clients.”

The multi-modal network is designed to combine ocean, truck, rail, and air transportation to create optimal conditions for an easier and faster network. GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch said the initiative will allow the Georgia Ports Authority to continue growing its service area across the U.S. Southeast and beyond.

“We are excited to enter into this agreement between our organizations,” Lynch said. “The MOU leverages the Institute’s predictive analytics and supply chain optimization, the Center of Innovation for Logistics’ network of connections, and the GPA’s experience in the field as an industry leader.”