"You can't put a price on the damage it is having on reputations," John Bostock said at the time.
The ratepayer-owned port's chief executive Garth Cowie said the big spend was not an over-reaction "and will hold us in good stead".
Staff analysed processes after the gridlock "from top to bottom".
Major changes include moving the entrance gate further from the road and adding lanes, including dedicated ones for logging trucks and the pick-up of empty containers.
Drivers can stay in their cabs thanks to intercoms and more staff are keeping the port open longer. Last year the gate closed at 7pm, now it is 10.30pm.
The lack of space at the port has been addressed. Empty containers are no longer collected from the port by exporters, collected instead from an off-port depot in Pandora.
Infrastructure is in place enabling refrigerated shipping containers to be stacked four high instead of two.
The demolition of the port's current administration and operation buildings, once the new administration building is soon completed, will free up more space.
Two Gottwald cranes also arrive later this year, giving the port four mobile container cranes of similar performance.
Additional container fork hoists are also coming.
"Over the last 12 months we have spent the best part of $40 million, though some was already planned," Cowie said.
The big changes were the tip of the iceberg, he said.
"There are most probably another 50 smaller things that we have implemented, that help processing and the back office stuff, to make things work smoothly."
One year ago the port had a staff of 175, this year it is 220.
An extra shift working longer hours helped handle the continuing swing to containers, "a significant extra commitment to importers and exporters".
Currently dozens of trucks could arrive at the same time, but later this year an online booking system will go live, matching demand with capacity.
Staff are working with exporters and trucking companies for its implementation later this year.
"When the exporter completes the container on his site he can send that information directly into our system. We have it to a degree now but obviously we are keen to see that extended further."
To have major changes in place for this year's season was "a significant achievement".
In the port's dangerous environment its improving health and safety record remains at the fore during the changes.
At AGMs speakers stress health and safety more than repeated record profits.
Mr Cowie said it was a work in progress.
"We have had some difficulties in the past and we are learning from those - we can always learn more."
Management were working with staff and unions to encourage more near-miss reporting.
"Just engaging in a more lucid manner seems to have struck some sort of resonance.
"We are not overly promoting ourselves but equally we are very proud of the improvement that we've made and the culture that is evolving and will continue to evolve. Legislation also brings a stricter discipline, which we are looking forward to, creating not only a safer environment for workers but also contractors and visitors," Cowie said.
He is confident this year's apple export peak will run smoothly, despite the new booking system not in place.
This year's apple season was running late and there hadn't been the "surge of empties we saw last year".
"Every apple season is different."
