HANSA 11-2019

SCHIFFFAHRT | SHIPPING
Guest contribution by Tim Bailey – Speedcast
»This is a new environment«
Communications can become the heart
of a digital shipping strategy. Service
providers need a much closer, professional
approach to their clients’ business.
Companies are making significant investments
in new technologies to achieve
the goals of optimised operations and
long term cost savings. The challenge is
that less than half of CEOs surveyed by
Gartner believe that digital investments
are improving net profit. In fact, the majority
say investments are too small and
insufficiently transformational to capture
the opportunities that digital presents.
Digitalisation is having a profound impact
on how shipowners and managers
run their business and what they want
from their technology partners. Perhaps
the most important factor in designing a
digital strategy is developing a clear understanding
of your business goals.
This is a new environment for providers
of maritime connectivity, used to a market
traditionally defined by commodity-based
pricing of hardware and services.
Since Speedcast and all of our competitors
buy capacity from the same satellite
operators and equipment from the same
suppliers, it’s a market in which we cannot
continue to compete based upon our
network alone.
Despite the wave of digitalisation in
the maritime sector, the evidence is that
many shipowners are still ‘all at sea’ when
it comes to adopting systems and processes
that can support a digital strategy.
The need for new types of connectivity
– and for a much broader range of services
– has helped to create some separation
between the suppliers who still think
the old way and those with a clear vision
Tim Bailey, EVP of Product, Marketing
and Business Development, Speedcast
of the future. If customers are thinking
in different ways, we need to have a view
that extends months and years ahead in
terms of operational needs or regulatory
requirements.
At this higher level, what an owner or
manager needs is not lower prices but better
value. A long term communications
partner will be distinguished from one
that simply sees a short-term opportunity.
Because requirements change – and are
different across distinct sites and applications
– shipping companies require a
range of expertise and types of connectivity.
This level of complexity requires
24/7 proactive support.
Understanding the need and the strategy
puts us in a position to support the
business, whether it’s crew connectivity,
IoT or a complete digital optimisation
strategy.
With a fully managed end-to-end solution,
the journey starts with Customer
Experience Management, undertaking research
and understanding what our customers
want to achieve.
We believe that successful digitalisation
hinges on having the right operating systems
– not only the most advanced technologies.
Our approach includes not just
network and systems integration but facilities
such as an innovation and testing
lab and consultancy on how to implement
digitalisation and IoT strategies. New ideas
on vessel performance optimisation,
cost-saving strategies and support that
deliver during a customer’s entire digital
connectivity journey.
© Speedcast
44 HANSA International Maritime Journal 11 | 2019