HE DESCRIBES himself as being passionate, sincere and determined, with a leadership style, characterised by honesty, fairness and consistency traits that the people he leads can readily expect of him.
In addition, Alan McCorkle the new man at the helm of APM Terminals (Jamaica) Limited, the management company for the Kingston Container Terminal (KCT) admits he is demanding, yet supportive as a leader. Mr. McCorkle, who succeeds Jorgen Palmbak, assumed office as general manager at APM Jamaica on March 22, 2004, and is expected to the steer the development of the container terminal over the next few years.
He is a 15-year veteran with the Danish company APM Terminals with vast experience in terminal management at five different ports. Prior to arriving in Jamaica, this new kid on the block was responsible for the development and management of APM Terminals Pier 400 in Los Angeles, California.
Mr. McCorkle has managed directly all facets of terminal operations, including vessel/yard/gate/rail operations, customer service, intermodal, and maintenance and repair and vessel co-ordination. His expertise also includes union labour negotiations and relations as well as port development projects, ISO certification and systems and technology implementations.
He believes his current skill set and experience will help him to achieve the vision for the viability and development of the KCT.
"I believe that my experience complements the Port Authority of Jamaica's vision to move Kingston into the upper echelon of global terminal operators with the continued expansion and improvements that are scheduled for the next few years," Mr. McCorkle said recently.
His plans for KCT include improvement in the safety record by promoting a safety culture; increasing the level of customer service; increasing vessel productivity to exceed 30 container moves per hour; decreasing gate turn-time, maintaining the facility at a level that meets and exceeds the international standard, and developing staff through continued training and support in order to achieve established goals.
"I truly believe that KCT has the potential to increase its efficiency levels and terminal handling capacity. Improvement in these areas will lead to increased volumes and more business as international shipping is one of the true growth industries in the world," the general manager noted, while pointing to the significance of maintaining security.
"We are also in the process of receiving our International Ship and Port Facility (ISPS) certification, which is the international standard of security requirement that is effective July 1 of this year," he added.
Mr. McCorkle is glad for the opportunity to be at the KCT with a full appreciation that "KCT has been and will continue to be a source of pride for all Jamaica".
APM Terminals Jamaica is associated with the Danish company APM Terminals, a leading global container terminal operator with activities in more 30 ports wordwide.
