Page 48: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 2020)

Tech Talk | 2020 SHIPPING & PORT ANNUAL

One Input Only

By Lars Fischer, Managing Director, Softship Data Processing argins are thin and the these areas which is both inef? cient and the enquiry, who can receive a detailed search for cost savings and error prone. Implementing intelligent breakdown of their options, and the ef? ciency gains remain a solutions will streamline these process- bene? t for the carrier, which has a de-

Mbusiness-critical priority for es and introduce a level of accuracy not tailed helicopter view of what they can all breakbulk operators. While in years previously experienced. offer and how they can optimise their gone by breakbulk carriers have focused By fully integrating – creating au- revenues, are signi? cant. For global on adopting physical innovations appli- tomated processes and syncing pro- or multi-national carriers, the use of cable to the vessels themselves and their grammes – software solutions devel- this tool also means that all of? ces are loading/unloading activities in order to oped to cater for breakbulk cargoes working off a single and uni? ed system, reduce costs, COVID-19 has focused at- speci? cally can markedly reduce risk by which is incredibly important for trans- tention on back-of? ce ef? ciencies. For providing intuitive, automated and net- parency and good conduct. many shipping companies, this year has worked processes that simplify all ad- By automating all back-of? ce pro- laid bare many of the failings in the ad- ministrative requirements. Working on cesses, a huge amount of data is auto- ministration of their business and high- the “one input only” principle, data is matically captured, shared and reused lighted how important IT infrastructure input only once and then shared across throughout the company, and can be and communications capabilities are to the company and with relevant business analysed and presented in the form of the resiliency of their operations. partners. This signi? cantly reduces the management reports. Introducing such

As a software solutions provider, at administrative burden and introduces information transparency across the

Softship, we see many shipowners try- ef? ciencies across the business. business allows busy executives to un- ing to work with software built for very Take as an example the common prob- derstand which areas of their business different purposes and around which lem of calculating the pro? tability of a are pro? table and which require more they end up having to shoehorn their op- breakbulk cargo booking: a well thought focus – a process which has been com- erations. It is certainly true that modern out software application will retrieve plicated by COVID-19 and reduced

IT systems and software applications, variable costs per shipment from a cost ability to travel between of? ces, or in- if used intelligently, can help deliver database and apply these as estimated spect processes in person. much-needed bene? ts, but care must be costs to the booking. Information on The reality for all shipping compa- taken to select applications that are tai- volumes taken from the customer at the nies is that COVID-19 will continue to lored to account for variances required time of booking are automatically mar- impact operations. Any companies not by the break-bulk sector. Many opera- ried with this data to provide analysis equipped with the right IT infrastruc- tors mistakenly choose container–spe- and pro? tability assessments for each ture will surely suffer in the long term. ci? c software which is often simply not consignment. Now is the time for companies to invest up to the job of moving breakbulk, proj- If this can be married with an integrat- in ? exible IT solutions that will fortify ect or out-of-gauge cargoes. ed dynamic pricing tool such as Soft- their business for a future not only in? u-

A good software suite designed specif- ship’s Pricing Calculator, an exception- enced by digital technologies, but whol- ically to accommodate the requirements ally clear picture of all of the possible ly reliant upon them. But for breakbulk of these specialised cargoes will connect transportation routes, options and pro? t- carriers, in the race to adjust, the biggest and integrate all activities from sales to ability can calculated instantly, without mistake would be to adopt the wrong customer service through to documen- having to reference a single Excel docu- digital solutions or try to shoehorn ap- tation and invoicing. Currently, many ment or lever-arch ? le. plications to meet the unique require- companies still duplicate their work in The bene? ts for the end-user making ments of breakbulk shipping. 48 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • October 2020

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