Manual process inefficiencies have intensified, now impacting 40.3% of operations, up from 35.9% in the previous year, according to C3 Solutions’ 2026 State of Dock and Yard Management Report.
This increase is notably linked to challenges further upstream in the operational chain, including overtime and temp labor hiring cost.
"Year over year, the true cost of manual processes is becoming harder to overlook. As volumes grow and operations become more complex, more organizations are realizing just how much these inefficiencies are holding them back," says Greg Braun, chief revenue officer of C3.
Key takeaways:
· Real-time yard visibility remains a critical priority, with 59.1% of respondents marking it as essential. However, frustrations related to system implementation effectiveness are on the rise, affecting 55.7% of professionals surveyed. The findings emphasize that how a system is deployed, adopted, and embedded into daily workflows determines whether it delivers value or collects dust.
· The report identifies critical shifts from previous findings, underscoring how the industry's focus is transitioning from symptom identification to targeting root causes of operational challenges. This progression highlights an increased sophistication among operators, who are now more strategic in pinpointing specific areas of improvement.
