Texas is a state in the southern part of the United States, located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. It borders the states of Louisiana and Arkansas to the east, Oklahoma to the north, and New Mexico to the west. To the southwest, it borders Mexico. The area is mostly upland (Great Plains), with small mountainous areas in the southwest and the Gulf Coastal Plain in the southeast. Texas is the second-largest state in the USA.
Texas provides one-third of the country’s crude oil and natural gas production. Rock salt, gypsum, barite, asphalt, iron ore, magnesite, and other mineral resources are also exploited. Texas specializes in, among other things, electricity production, mainly from thermal power plants. Industries such as machinery, aerospace (the Space Flight Center was built here), electrical and electronic, automotive, food, chemical, refining, and petrochemical have developed here. The state has a dense network of roads and over 20,900 km of main railway lines, and a network of oil and gas pipelines stretches from the oil and gas fields all the way to the Great Lakes, Atlantic ports, and California.
The location of the port in Houston is due to its favorable geographical position on the Gulf coast. This port is a strategic gateway for cargo shipments destined for United States markets or produced in these markets and intended for export. At the same time, it lies within reach of the largest concentration of consumers. The nearby international airport has connections to almost all major cities in the world. Houston is also a transport hub for the southwestern part of the United States. The city itself has 480 km of toll-free highways.
Characteristics of the logistics center in Houston
The Houston logistics center (Texas) is located near major railway junctions leading deep into the continent, as well as to the opposite east coast. Roads provide fast and easy connections both with the rest of the country and with Mexico. Highway 10 leading east, the “north-south” highway 35 to Mexico and to towns located in the north of the continent, as well as local secondary roads, together form a dense network and complement the railway network.
The logistics center in Houston, stretching over 40 km, is located on the territory of the international commercial port of Houston, the second largest in terms of handled tonnage in the United States and the sixth largest in the world. The port of Houston plays a key role in the entire region, and its development is closely linked to oil fields. The advantage of the port is its inland location. Being a seaport at the same time, this allows for greater use of water transport, while relieving rail and road transport. All these factors positively influence the dynamic development of port infrastructure, and thus the entire port. The port authorities constitute an autonomous government unit, established by a legislative act in Texas in 1927. Earlier, in 1909, thanks to the efforts of congressmen and local government officials, funds were obtained for deepening the communication route, the port channel, which was officially opened in November 1914. By decision of Washington, work on the operation and expansion of the port was repeatedly interrupted, which did not favor the implementation of the port expansion plan and the development of the port district. Nevertheless, in 1971, a logistics center was established, which could carry out its own development, flood protection, fire protection, environmental protection projects, etc., on its territory.
The dynamically developing logistics center in Houston has contributed to the development of entrepreneurship and trade on an international scale. Companies undertaking international activities also benefit from the very well-developed financial system in Houston, as well as finding experienced employees in the local labor market. In 2003, about 190 million tons of cargo were handled at the port of Houston, and over 6,000 ships called at the port. Each of them had to be towed to the appropriate docks in the port through the “Houston Ship Channel”. The largest trading partners of the logistics center are companies from Mexico, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, as well as Great Britain, Germany, and Brazil. The most frequently imported goods handled at the port include petroleum products, fertilizers and minerals, organic chemicals, steel, iron, and beverages (Figure 2). The most frequently exported goods handled at the port include petroleum products, grains, organic chemicals, plastic, and vegetable and animal oils (Figure 3).
The logistics center in Houston is an example of a public-private enterprise owned by the port authority. The board includes the city authorities of Houston, which own the land along with the port infrastructure, and 150 private companies based in the port. The port authority controls and finances the operation of the “Houston Port Channel”. All facilities located in the channel area were designed for handling break-bulk products, liquids, and container handling.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 4/2007.