Letter From the CEO

Dear Colleagues,

From the day I joined Sea-Land Services, Inc. in the very early nineties, I knew that the Intermodal Industry would provide me with the opportunity to “Make a Difference”.  Joining the Terminal Automation System’s team at that time wasn’t easy.  In those days, most intermodal operations were still very manual and computers (PCs, tablets, etc.) weren’t as widely used as they are today.  Aggravating matters was the labor force’s personification of technology into an evil villain looking to take away jobs and opportunities.

The mere thought of introducing technology sent shivers down people’s spines.  No one was looking forward to forcing “change” down the throat of established manual processes.  With the proper management support and the selection of key technology, however, we made strides and, thus “moved mountains”.  My team’s focus was on the entry/exit to the facilities; aka, “the gate”.  From the introduction of in-lane intercom systems, video cameras, and thermal ticket printers, we saw the beginnings of a technology revolution.

Years later, as I look back through the years and recall the challenges that laid ahead, I’m amazed at the mountains of doubt that we (NASCENT) were able to overcome.  As we introduced new concepts like “Remote Gate Operations” we soon realized that there weren’t many people who understood what we were presenting.  As a result, from the creation and use of acronyms (e.g. AGS = Automated Gate System) to the use of toy trains to explain control over “the internet”, we constantly had to come up with novel, yet straightforward, ways of communicating what our innovative technology could do for our clients. 

Even as the focus of our technology shifted from pure performance optimization to security, NASCENT continued to introduce leading edge, “operationally-focused” technology.  As a technology leader in the industry, this is not a simple task; we don’t have the luxury of evaluating what other companies are doing, but rather we must constantly push ourselves to do better.

As a result, last year (2010), we began a transformation at NASCENT.  We took nothing for granted and re-evaluated all aspects of our business.  Now, more focused than ever, NASCENT is ready to redefine Intermodal Technololgy for another fifteen years.

Regards,
Fabio Teti
President,
NASCENT Technology, LLC.