Shipping company OSM Maritime Group has announced it will introduce Cloud Fleet Manager (CFM) from Hamburg-based software provider Hanseaticsoft as part of its business digitisation strategy.

Using Hanseaticsoft’s Cloud Fleet Manager the company will improve and accelerate its internal business processes and increase the quality and availability of its data for employees and customers. It also wants to increase connectivity for staff and improve its customer communications. 

OSM Maritime will use the CFM portal as a central data and information platform - the system will replace other technology including its existing decentralised data storage system.

Having a single centralised information platform will accelerate information access and exchange across the company. Data from various external applications will be aggregated in the CFM portal and made available to all employees centrally. This will speed up information retrieval and forwarding and ensure that uniform and detailed data sets are always available. 

With more than 11,000 employees distributed globally, it was particularly important for the company to allow them to connect them with each other easily to further strengthen their collaborative relationships. 

Since the CFM is cloud-based, a single database can be used and accessed independently of location and time. This approach brings additional value, not only because the employees are able to interact in an intelligent way, but also there is no further need to manually request and forward information. The company wants to further optimize its processes and create interactive, virtual teams that meet the requirements of the maritime industry. 

To continuously offer its customers first-class services and to integrate them more closely, the company will introduce the CFM Partner Portal. This will enable customers to access relevant information, such as fleet schedules or other relevant operating data at any time. 

In accordance with the company's "always-on" mentality, customers can access up-to-date information 24 hours a day. With this decision, the company remains faithful to its principle of offering high-quality and reliable services to its customers and enabling them to concentrate on their core business. In this context, the modernisation of processes should, in addition to a reduction of the communication effort, lead to increased transparency. 

With the introduction of Cloud Fleet Manager, the company has deliberately chosen a new generation of fleet management. 

Bjoern Sprotte, Managing Director of the Technical Management & Services division for the last six months, explains why they selected Cloud Fleet Manager: "Many shipping companies have been stuck in the past due to their adherence to antiquated processes and software solutions. With increasing digitalisation it is important to adapt to changing events and market requirements and not only to react but also to develop innovations together with partners.” 

“I am delighted we have found a strong strategic partner in Hanseaticsoft, which supports us with innovative and market-leading software applications to optimise everyday processes and make them more efficient. We particularly appreciate the fact that as a customer we are in close contact with the developers, our requirements and wishes are addressed and we are actively involved in further developments and extensions of the applications." 

Additionally, the field of inspections is undergoing further modernisation. In the future, the Inspection Report App will be used in order to no longer rely on pen, paper and camera. With this, it is possible to perform the entire process completely digitally, simply and quickly on a smartphone or tablet. The company was particularly impressed by the ability to create questionnaires directly on a smartphone, to fill them out and then synchronise the results with the office. 

"The reliable exchange of information and the rapid provision of all relevant data for the responsible persons enables processes to be accelerated rapidly and reduces additional work and expenses. This is particularly important to meet the growing requirements of digitisation and the need to optimise business processes." said Steffen Tunge, Managing Director of OSM Ship Management Singapore. 

With this decision, OSM Maritime Group sets an example of the company's future-oriented, modern and innovative approach. 

A subset of all 500 vessels managed by the company that is supervised by the technical management, is initially equipped with the software.

About OSM Maritime Group

Since 1989 OSM has provided support at sea. With about 11,000 employees, a fleet of roughly 500 vessels and operations all over the world OSM is delivering support from 30 office locations and are the global market leader for third party management within the Offshore and Maritime Industry.

OSM’s flexible solutions provide one point of contact and act as a one-stop shop for transparent Ship Management, Crew Management, Offshore Management, and New Building Management covering the entire process from specification to commissioning of complex types of vessels.

By combining global footprint with local content, OSM has recently expanded their services to the cruise industry and has furthermore increased the range of cost-effective supply chain management solutions, enabling customers to focus on their core business operations.

About Hanseaticsoft

Hanseaticsoft was founded in 2009 by Alexander Buchmann. Mr. Buchmann and his team gained many years of experience in the software department of a medium-sized shipping company in Hamburg, the third largest container harbor in Europe. With Hanseaticsoft Buchmann’s idea of a new software concept was finally realized: giving enterprises access to new and efficient technologies by means of intuitive software solutions. Today Hanseaticsoft has more than 30 employees and develops software solutions for shipping companies. Since March 2017, Lloyd's Register one of the world's largest ship classification societies holds a share in the software company.