• TPM24
  • March 3-6, 2024 | Long Beach Convention Center

Roger Guenther

Port of Houston Authority

Executive Director

Roger Guenther was named the Executive Director of Port Houston in January 2014. He oversees the efficient and effective operations of Port Houston’s public facilities, which handle a diverse range of imports and exports including container, general cargo, breakbulk, and bulk commodities and include the area’s largest breakbulk facility and two of the most efficient container terminals in the nation.

Mr. Guenther serves on numerous boards and committees including the Texas Department of Transportation’s Texas Freight Advisory Committee, the Port Authority Advisory Committee, the Board of Visitors of Texas A&M University at Galveston, the Board of Directors of the National Association of Waterfront Employees, and the Gulf Coast Protection District. Most recently, he was appointed to the Maritime Transportation System National Advisory Committee by Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation.

Mr. Guenther earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University and has an MBA in International Trade and Finance from the University of St. Thomas.

Sessions With Roger Guenther

Tuesday, 28 February

  • 03:15pm - 04:00pm (PST) / 28/feb/2023 11:15 pm - 01/mar/2023 12:00 am

    How to Improve Container Flow Through Terminals
    If the pandemic experience taught us anything about supply chains, it's the urgency of maintaining container flow through ports and terminals. The logic is simple: Too many containers — loaded or empty — sitting on terminal grounds slows productivity at the berth and the gate. As data clearly showed, lower productivity results in ships remaining at berth for longer, forcing incoming ships — and all of their cargo — to wait at anchor. Transit times, lead times, and inventory-carrying costs all increase as a direct result, while shippers' revenue and responsiveness to customer demands go down. Many factors work against flow: empties not being removed quickly, excessive free time within service contracts, and shippers and truckers' slow transition to 24/7 operations, to mention but a few. Unprecedented pressure obviously was placed on the system beginning in late 2020, but future shocks are a certainty, and lessons need to be learned. This session will address what steps need to be taken to ensure consistent flow going forward. 
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