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and regulatory compliance. Shipping budgets (along with energy and defense budgets) are under continuous scrutiny, successful companies are always looking for competitive ad- vantage and operational efficiencies. SpecTec software pro- vides the tools necessary for companies of all sizes to realize efficiencies in lifecycle and asset management. Companies without asset management systems are looking to implement them for the benefits they provide and many companies with a first generation system are looking to SpecTec to provide them with a system based on the latest technology. A specific area where we see much interest is in optimizing maintenance strategies through the use of risk based analysis including Re- liability Centered Maintenance (RCM), Risk Analysis, Life

Cycle Analysis (LCA) and Fault Tree Analysis. Dashboards,

KPI’s, and flexible reporting capabilities are important as- pects of AMOS that provide an easy to understand means of measuring and reporting on the financial and operational sta- tus. From a regulatory perspective, it is well known that op- erators are dealing with a seemingly never ending stream of new regulations and requirements. The traditional means of complying, documenting and reporting are no longer ade- quate when faced with this constantly changing environment.

SpecTec, through the AMOS Quality and Safety module, pro- vides operators with a comprehensive and practical tool that aids in compliance and cuts through the sea of paperwork.

AMOS Quality and Safety incorporates a true document management system allowing for company specific docu- mentation (SMS, directives, etc.) to be embedded in the sys- tem as well as relevant industry documentation (SOLAS,

MARPOL, ISM Code, etc). Designed to look beyond current regulations, this intuitive and flexible module and document management tool offers a solid foundation for present and future quality related business processes.

How are you investing today in your product(s) (ie. what’s under development?)

John Veson, Veson Nautical We invested a year in the development of IMOS6, and worked hard to keep the presentation of the information rational and ready to use. We focused on the usability and customizability; as the func- tionality (of a software package) grows, the trick is to keep it user friendly.

Coppin, AVEVA Our latest developments include a specialist mechanical equipment interface solution, a ded- icated solution for instrumentation, and powerful new status management tools to manage project resources more effi- ciently and at lower cost.

Hughey, ABS NS This past month, ABS Nautical

Systems announced its partnership with SYS-TEC, an in- dustry leader in barcode data collection and radio-frequency identification solutions, to develop a hand-held scanner tech- nology for the industry. While a crew member will make er- rors one in every seven characters by writing down or typing in data, the same risk is less than one in seven million with the improved scanning technology. A best practice approach to inventory management, it will be available as part of the NS5

Purchasing & Inventory module and will provide a more ef- ficient and reliable method for vessel owners and operators to preserve their offshore assets.

We will also introduce NS v5.5 to the industry this year. Ver- sion 5.5 is an upgrade to the NS5 software suite that will in- corporate more than 130 new functionalities and modifications based on customer feedback and insights. For customers with NS v5.4, the upgrade to v5.5 can be easily implemented across an entire fleet.

Carbone, Stelvio There are 3 parts to my answer: • Regarding technology: Software tools for building web ap- plications are constantly evolving and new standards are being introduced on a seemingly regular basis. New “inter- net-enabled” hardware devices are announced on a daily basis. Our job is to ensure that ShipDecision is enhanced to take advantage of, and stay compatible with, the “evolving internet” and the devices used to connect to it. • Regarding ShipDecision: we have new modules under de- velopment that take the next step in using the information that ShipDecision integrates. • Regarding development: our development team is growing and will continue to be based solely in Montreal. Our devel- opers are full-time employees; we do not outsource.

Hodkinson, SpecTec SpecTec places great emphasis on continually upgrading and enhancing the product and

ROUNDTABLE SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS

Peter Fah, Managing Director, Mespas

At the heart of the MESPAS system lies a unique database architecture and central server infrastruc- ture. The system is based on the concept of cloud computing. 26 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News

ShipDecision 3.0

The latest release of ShipDecision technology, version 3.0, takes advan- tage of the most up-to-date Web de- velopment tools and is designed to offer maritime clients an easy-to-nav- igate software solution that helps people work collaboratively. It was developed using the Adobe Flex framework. “We fully understand the enormous time pressures and information shar- ing challenges that confront the mar- itime sector. As software developers, our job is to design solutions that make it easier for people to handle their work,” said Albert Carbone,

President of Stelvio Inc. which devel- ops the ShipDecision solution. “When you log into your system in the morn- ing, you want to see your critical in- formation organized in a way that makes sense to you. That’s exactly what you get when you use ShipDeci- sion.”

The maritime-centric business man- agement system is designed to work like a virtual command center.

ShipDecision 3.0 links each business partner involved in the voyage process and ensures they have ac- cess to accurate information, when and where it is needed.

The web-based architecture removes the need for in-house servers and complex IT infrastructure. Data is stored on Stelvio-owned server farms housed for security, redundancy and high availability. With specific mod- ules for Brokers, Operators, Charter- ers, Surveyors, Agents, Insurers and

Registries, ShipDecision 3.0 is de- signed to save time, reduces costs, and create a competitive advantage.

Email: [email protected]

Karen Hughey, ABS NS “This past month, ABS Nautical Systems announced its partnership with SYS-TEC, an industry leader in barcode data collection and radio-frequency identi- fication solutions, to develop a hand-held scanner technology for the industry. While a crew member will make errors one in every seven characters by writing down or typing in data, the same risk is less than one in seven million with the improved scan- ning technology.