The article notes that many automated ports are poor performers productivity-wise and presents this as evidence that automation doesn't increase productivity. However, it stands to reason that ports already suffering from low productivity would be the most inclined to adopt automation. I think it's safe to say automation is not a silver bullet that will cause a port to jump from the bottom to the top of the rankings, but that doesn't mean these ports wouldn't be worse off without the improvements they've made.
Also while the article champions various process improvements to make ports more efficient that don't strictly require automation, it's not an either/or scenario. Implementing automation can make it easier to implement process improvements like scheduling, and process improvements which reduce variability make automation less expensive and more capable. It makes sense to pursue both in parallel.
Autometion generally starts with high labor costs which poductivity is not really a measure of. Sometimes it is about safety or no strikes, but normaly wages.
Once automation works it often is more productive but not always.
Automation makes the happy path faster but almost always makes the unhappy paths much, much slower. So, if you wind up with too many unhappy path cases, your automation made things worse, not better.
useful line of thinking here.. this approach also reveals a fundamental part of negotiations.. are people interested in seeing an approach? and willing to put up with small failures and setbacks to get to a desired approach? ask that for both sides. call them "automators" .. those who want more robots, all the time, at any cost(?) due to the bright and shiny robot future they make.. and/or the "john henry"s so to speak.. humans and their allies.. people who make a living, have property and are part of families, schools and communities.. elect representatives into social groups that have a seat at the table.. long-term humans that live and thrive
On another hand, pure "economic determinism" about efficiency and quarterly results, that is included in this topic.. but some might say that those economic determinism people have a lot to answer for in an age of inappropriately priced fossil fuels, availability of credit in large amounts for unequal reasons, a system of law and associated prices that assume an infinite natural world to use up in any way, shape or form. etc.
Also while the article champions various process improvements to make ports more efficient that don't strictly require automation, it's not an either/or scenario. Implementing automation can make it easier to implement process improvements like scheduling, and process improvements which reduce variability make automation less expensive and more capable. It makes sense to pursue both in parallel.