Colombian operator boosting productivity with implementation of new TOS

Austal has officially opened its new state-of-the-art Modular Manufacturing Facility (MMF), equipping its US shipyard with the ability to build up to three 100 metre-plus vessels each year.
Phase One of the new $88 million facility boasts 35,000m2 of manufacturing space under one roof, including a 7900m2 warehouse, as well as paved parking for more than 2000 vehicles.
An official ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of Phase One was held at Austal’s Mobile, Alabama shipyard today. The event was attended by more than 300 dignitaries, including Alabama Governor Bob Riley, US Navy Program Executive Officer RADM Bill Landay, US Representative Jo Bonner and City of Mobile Mayor Sam Jones.
Austal Managing Director Bob Browning said the new facility meant Austal was ideally positioned to accommodate the concurrent construction of major multi-vessel programs.
“The on-time, on-budget completion of this facility elevates Austal USA to a new level of highly efficient aluminium ship construction," Mr Browning said.
"Not only is this significant investment poised to have a positive effect on the surrounding economy, it also gives Austal unrivalled capacity to facilitate the construction of the US Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) programs.”
“Through expanding our modular manufacturing capability, we have introduced increased efficiency into every aspect of the shipbuilding process, which will translate into faster delivery times and significant cost savings across each vessel.”
Tideworks Technology and Santa Marta International Terminal Company (SMITCO), a joint venture between Manzanillo International Terminal-Panama, S.A. (MIT) and Sociedad Portuaria de Santa Marta (SPSM), today announced the finalization of an agreement for the implementation of Tideworks’ Mainsail Terminal Management System®. SMITCO has already been utilizing Tideworks’ container planning software, Spinnaker Planning Management System®, to graphically plan yard and vessel activities and increase operational efficiencies. With the addition of Mainsail, the joint venture operator will now have the ability to leverage the full capabilities of Tideworks’ TOS (terminal operating system) to manage inventory, control gate activity, exchange information with customers and stakeholders, and further boost productivity. The installation and implementation of systems in Santa Marta are slated to be complete before the end of the year.
Tideworks’ graphical planning system, Spinnaker, was implemented in a stand-alone fashion during an earlier phase, allowing SMITCO to immediately begin reaping the benefits of a modern terminal system with minimal investment. SMITCO has seen an increase in productivity from 12 to 24 containers per hour and credits this boost, in large part, to the introduction of Tideworks’ systems.
“Tideworks’ systems provide complete control and visibility into our operations,” stated Jaime Sasso, general manager of SMITCO. “We expect to see further increases in productivity and efficiency with the implementation of Mainsail. In the end, it is all about providing better and more reliable service to SMITCO’s customers, and Tideworks helps us do that.”
As part of the implementation, Tideworks, through a combination of resources at its Seattle headquarters and its Panama regional office, is providing various value-added services to ensure the project is a success. Including:
· Hardware purchase and installation: Leveraging its vendor relationships, Tideworks has been able to procure the required hardware at reduced costs to the terminal operator. Tideworks will assist SMITCO with the installation and setup of this hardware at the terminal.
· Third–party software purchase and installation: Because of the company’s existing vendor relationships, Tideworks will provide the procurement of necessary third-party software and install the software on the SMITCO servers.
· Communication links: Tideworks will ensure that adequate communication links exist to Seattle, Colombia and Panama to assist with implementation and training as well as to provide complete on-going support and maintenance of the TOS post implementation.
· Mainsail customization: Tideworks will provide customization of Mainsail to meet the unique operational requirements of SMITCO. Development is already well underway and is expected to be completed in Q4.
· Training: Tideworks will provide training of SMITCO “super users” at another Tideworks facility prior to the systems go-live, as well as training on site at SMITCO.
“We are excited to be working with SMITCO on this project,” said Michael Schwank, president of Tideworks Technology. “It is extremely satisfying to see how the introduction of a proven, dependable TOS can help our customers achieve new levels of productivity. This project in particular demonstrates Tideworks’ ability to provide full-service solutions, in a phased approach, to meet both the client’s financial and operational objectives.”
 

(Source: Transport Weekly)