Manchester-based tech firm SRO Solutions has signed an agreement with Belfast Harbour to provide IBM’s Maximo asset management software licences, as it looks to increase digitalisation across its operations.
The city’s port is Northern Ireland’s principal logistics and distribution hub, responsible for more than two-thirds of all seaborne trade. In excess of 1.75 million people and over half a million freight vehicles pass through the port annually, while 24 million tonnes of goods are managed and carried by ferries, container ships and general cargo vessels.
SRO Solutions, part of the Cohesive Companies and a Gold Accredited IBM Business Partner, carried out a usage review and has transacted additional licenses to Belfast Harbour, more than doubling the number of Maximo licences being used on site. Over the coming months its consultants will help Belfast Harbour expand its use of the software to deliver greater efficiencies.
SRO, which has helped lead IBM’s expansion into the maritime and offshore industries, began working with Belfast Harbour in 2018, implementing Maximo to store information about the port’s assets and manage the maintenance of its equipment.
Tony Lackey, SRO Solutions managing director, said: “Ports are perfectly positioned to benefit from deploying IBM’s Maximo software which is the most advanced asset management software in the world. We originally helped Belfast Harbour move from a largely paper-driven system of asset management to a centralised digital solution. Maximo now holds data on a range of assets at the port, everything from cranes to vehicle traffic lights, enabling greater efficiency in maintenance planning and execution.
“Technicians receive their work orders via mobile devices and once a repair has been completed the system can be updated in real time. It is an always up-to-date, accurate record of the port’s assets – and with no paperwork, the potential for mistakes decreases.
“The scale of Belfast Harbour’s operation means there is great scope for it to use Maximo far more extensively across the organisation. This agreement will give their Information Systems team the ability to harness the full power of Maximo.”
Projects under consideration include using Maximo to manage the maintenance of facilities across Belfast Harbour’s extensive estate. The 2,000-acre estate is home to commercial office space, shops and restaurants, plus hotels, a film studio and the city’s award-winning Titanic Belfast visitor attraction.
Trevor Anderson, Director of Infrastructure and Business Transformation at Belfast Harbour, added: “Centralising data through Maximo and enabling access to real-time information opens up numerous time and cost-saving opportunities. Belfast Harbour has continually invested in the system and we are now at the exciting stage of expanding its use across the wider organisation.”
