Page 77: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 1996)

Information Tec

Strategy & infrastructure

Grappling With

II Challenges

Marine companies taking clear strategic approaches to maintaining marketshares are characterized by a willingness to invest in infra- structure projects. Information Technology (IT) solutions have infiltrated the industry, and senior management must face the challenge of becoming knowledgable in the way of these solutions, in order to direct the continued success of compa- nies. Commercial and legislative pressures on shipowners and ship managers have reached the point where effective and economic solutions can no longer be found in conventional systems and methods.

Implementing IT strategies is not a question of accessing huge budgets and vast resources, instead, this process is reliant upon educating those who already possess industry experience and expertise. The days of abdicating to comput- er technicicans have been phased out.

In an effort to provide management with an ever increasing range of applications, companies are eager to incorporate this technology.

Powerful market players and small-to-medium- sized businesses alike need strategies for absorb- ing IT.

Bridging The Info Gap

It is true that, from time to time, IT develop- ments and associated marketing hype can serve to confuse rather than clarify. A classic example of misunderstanding the scope of IT is the associ- ation of e-mail with "messages," which under- plays the global potential for transmitting fax, telex, data and images within and outside orga- nizations. Many companies have been late to appreciate the significance of e-mail because they claim, "we do not send many messages."

In many situations, the essence of the situation lies in the ability of marine organizations to eval- uate the relevance of a given innovation as it relates to accomplishing business objectives.

Communications — A Key Element

U.S. chemical tanker specialist Stolt Parcel

Tankers frequently exchanges more than one megabyte of information with its vessels in sup- port of various commercial applications. Without a communications infrastructure to facilitate and optimize this level of exchange, many of the applications would be not be possible.

Select companies have invested in end-to-end communications networks linking vessels, head- quarters, regional offices and associate organiza- tions. Vessels have become fully integrated float- ing offices, and few, if any, business plans are beyond reach.

P&O Containers, participating in a recent marine seminar, reported a more than 20 percent increase in telex, data and voice communications.

Jo Tankers, part of Norway's J Odfjell Group, is committed to a network of PCs onboard each ves- sel, and has designed a ship/shore communica- tions infrastructure to facilitate remote manage- ment of onboard networks from the shore, with automatic collection and dissemination of infor-

June, 1996

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