HANSA 01-2019

Schiffstechnik | Ship Technology
CLOSELINK
First online procurement platform for marine lubricants
The Hamburg based start-up Closelink
wants to provide more transparency to
the procurement process for one of the
major cost drivers in ship management.
Since March 2018, Closelink offers the
first online procurement platform for
marine lubricants.
In the past years, a great number of new
manufacturers, distributors and traders
has entered the market for marine lubricants
which provides buyers with a greater
variety of options. »These options are
important to ensure smooth operations
in times of changing vessel trades (e.g.
driven by China’s Belt and Road Initiative)
and a growing number of vessels per
ship manager due to the ongoing market
consolidation,« says Philippe Lavarde,
Managing Director of Closelink.
With Closelink, lubricants purchasers
have the chance to put negotiated terms
in comparison with offers from other
suppliers registered on the platform. The
online platform provides quick support
in case of short-term emergencies or deliveries
in remote ports. In addition, Closelink
allows purchasers to compare different
lifting scenarios with a single mouse
click and automatically provides visual
reporting.
»Suppliers get direct access
to the increasing spot market
for lubricants and a standard
communication process«
Through the Closelink platform, suppliers
have a direct access to the increasing
spot market for marine lubricants
and a standardized communication process.
Whereas the homogenization of
products continues, suppliers have the
opportunity to differentiate in terms of
service offering, product availability and
supply infrastructure.
Due to the changes that will be unfolding
in the marine fuels market with implementation
of the IMO’s 0.5% sulphur
cap from 2020 onwards, the choice of the
right engine lubricant becomes more obvious;
the task is to either match LNG,
low sulphur or high sulphur fuel. Ensuring
a global availability of the particular
product becomes a greater challenge.
Going forward, Closelink expects engine
manufacturers to take greater responsibility
by providing clearer product specifications
to ensure standard qualities
among different manufacturers.
The Closelink founders are one of the
five start-up teams that were able to qualifiy
for the Next Logistics Accelerator programme.
More than 100 teams from all
over the world had applied for it. Within
the coming six months, the start-ups will
work on their business moldels, expand
their network and search for investors for
their next growth phase.
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HANSA International Maritime Journal – 156. Jahrgang – 2019 – Nr. 1 65