Xantic has announced the signing of a contract with Malaysia International Shipping Corporation Bhd (MISC). The agreement will see Xantic provide consultancy, training, support, software installation and airtime as part of a major business transformation process currently being implemented by MISC.
The contract between Xantic and MISC is worth US$10 million over two years. The catalyst for the agreement was MISC’s decision to refocus its business in line with its vision of becoming “the preferred supplier of world class maritime transportation and logistics services
”. Started in 1997, the final phase of this project is now underway in the form of implementing the operational systems within the entire MISC organisation and its fleet.
A major part involves transformation of various business processes. IT has been identified as a key component for change and improvement. An important part of the transformation involves the Fleet Management work stream, and Xantic was chosen as the ideal partner to help with this issue.
Xantic will deliver AMOS Maintenance & Purchase (Xantic’s well-known ship management system), AMOS Personnel Express (onboard crew management and administration) and AmosConnect (a high-end e-mail system) solutions. Software installation, backed up by training and consultation, will be carried out in two phases: Phase I will cover the Head Office and three ships, while Phase II will involve roll-out to eight offices and 102 vessels.
“This contract represents a major milestone for us,” commented Xantic CEO Ronald Spithout. “It serves as an excellent indicator of Xantic’s ability to provide consultancy and software on a global basis, backed up by our worldwide support network. And the fact that we are also supplying 80% of MISC’s airtime demonstrates the market demand for bundled services. Our CAT (Content, Applications and Transactions) strategy is once again vindicated.”
A spokesman of MISC said that his company had selected Xantic for various reasons. “During negotiations, it became clear that Xantic had the ability to provide proven systems; a global support service for the fleet; both the required applications and IT infrastructure and support for hardware, networks and operating systems; the global resources to supply, integrate, design, test, commission and support systems for the organisation and fleet; and a willingness to commit to an ambitious project within a short timeframe. Best of all, its proven track record in the maritime industry guaranteed us the experience and know-how we expect.”
The deliverables within the Fleet Management work stream include planned maintenance, procurement, crew management, communications, data conversion and construction, interfaces to SAP and other legacy systems, MIS reports, consultancy, training, implementation, support and maintenance, and global vessel service and support.
“At Xantic, we enjoy nothing more than working with partners to create solutions above and beyond standard systems,” added Spithout. “The next two years will be an exciting period of change and transformation, one which will call upon the skills and expertise that is clearly in place on both sides. Xantic is happy to commit the resources of our global organisation and immerse ourselves and our software development into MISC’s business processes.”