Press Room

The port of Cristobal in the city of Colón (managed by Panama Ports Company) finished a 12-day operation during which it handled the transshipment of 1,263 kilometers of fiber optics, originally used to connect Venezuela with the Canary Islands.

This is the second time the Cristobal terminal has been used for this type of operation because its complexity required significant collaboration between port personnel and national authorities.  The process was carried out in stages using 5 advanced-technology cutting machines, placed alongside the ship in front of each warehouse in order to remove the five rolls consisting of approximately 250 kilometers each.  The fiber was cut into 12-meter segments as it passed through the equipment.

“More and more logistics services are being requested from the ports on a daily basis”, assured Aitor Ibarreche, Panama Ports Company Executive President.  “The global expectation is that the terminals could handle every type of cargo (including the more unusual) and the processing of said cargo for its rapid re-exportation.  We have expanded our logistics-services catalog (from bags of rice to fiber-optic cable) in order to help position Panama as a global hub”.

Once processed, the cabling was placed in containers for shipment to Asia.

The success of this operation was the result of a high degree of labor excellence that PPC has been promoting since its beginnings in the country …which has not only positioned it as the national industry’s number-one company, but also supports, day by day, the goal of turning the Republic of Panama into a truly international logistics center.

Panama Ports Company, administrator of the Balboa and Cristobal terminals, has set the goal of establishing continuous improvement mechanisms for the already excellent performance quality of the country’s port labor force, including the signing of an agreement of mutual support with the National Institute of Professional Education and Training for Human Development (Instituto Nacional de Formación Professional y Capacitación para el Desarrollo Humano, INADEH).

This signing officially constitutes the informal alliance that has existed between the two organizations for several years, in which both PPC and INADEH have benefited from mutual facilities for training and evaluation of human resources, specifically with utilization of the Port Equipment Simulation Center (Centro de Simulación de Equipos Portuarios).

The Port Equipment Simulation Center is a project proposed as a viable alternative to improve the technical and attitudinal skills of human resources handling port logistics equipment (through education and training), both for expert and trainee personnel operating high-end machinery.  This training facility began operations in 2012 with an investment of 7.5-million dollars earmarked to provide 12 simulators that, to date, have trained 1,673 world-class technicians in a variety of disciplines (specialties).  Of those, 256 have been from PPC. 

In addition to the use of these facilities, the agreement has permitted INADEH students to be trained in the areas of loading and verification at the ports of Balboa and Cristobal, independent of the company they previously worked for; thus reinforcing PPC’s commitment to raising the technical level of the industry …with a view towards expanding available areas of practice. 

“It’s an honor for us to work with an institution as important as INADEH”, assured Aitor Ibarreche, Executive President of Panama Ports.  “PPC has always said that there is great potential in the country …which continues to be proven.  These types of partnerships allow us to cultivate hidden human-resource skills; offering them the opportunity to become experts in meticulously technical jobs.” 

The training of INADEH students entails an investment of equipment and time on the part of PPC – an investment the company makes with a firm commitment to improving national human resources.  The agreement is another action within their strategy to keep raising the performance bar of Panamanian port work in order to position it among the best in the world.

Panama Ports Company, manager of the Balboa and Cristobal terminals, trained more than 120 women – including employees and wives of employees – on various topics regarding leadership. The program is part of a series of initiatives being implemented by the ports company, geared towards creating a positive impact on the professional development and families of its employees.

The training modules were designed specifically for these sessions, which spanned several hours, and incorporated topics from budget management to issues related to the healthy empowerment of self-esteem and techniques to foster a healthy work-life balance.

“At PPC, we understand the importance of family as the fundamental building block of society. One of our main objectives at the company is to support our employees and their families in attaining a better environment in which to work and live,” said Aitor Ibarreche, Executive President of Panama Ports Company. “We want the ports to serve as a second home for all those who, day by day, do their part to provide the utmost quality of service in the country.”

As part of the second phase of the program, 23 of the 120 participants in the course volunteered to continue training more women; this, with the aim of creating a multiplier effect that not only benefits countless people, but allows for the initial beneficiaries to – themselves – perpetuate the dissemination of this knowledge.

For Ibarreche, these 23 volunteers, who will be certified as official trainers of the program, will serve as messengers of the progress envisioned by the company for its human resources. “We strongly believe that there will be an increasing number of women who respond to the call,” he predicted.

It is estimated that more than 200 women will graduate from the program this year.