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Market-based innovation and better supply-chain collaboration will help make Canada a productive and efficient Asian gateway on the West Coast, said CN President and Chief Executive Officer Claude Mongeau during a speech at the Pacific Gateway Forum 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, last week.

Port Metro Vancouver is a critical player in the movement of Canada's coal, grain, potash and container traffic to Asia, he said. CN has spent more than $500 million on projects targeting the Asia-Pacific Gateway Corridor, including terminals, sidings and signals, but that investment is not enough, said Mongeau.

“We need innovation and collaboration throughout the supply chain,” he said. “That is the journey CN is on.”

The Class I is attempting to take its "Precision Railroading" model to the next level by focusing on supply-chain initiatives and service reliability to boost volumes through the gateway. CN recently introduced a new supply-chain approach to managing the flow of coal from mines to ships at West Coast terminals, as well as a plan designed to increase the reliability of grain service.

In addition, since April, CN has signed a series of supply-chain collaboration agreements with major East and West Coast ports, and service level agreements with several terminal operators.