The Client
The client is the marine transportation division of one of the largest integrated energy companies in the world. The company, which is based in Houston, has operations in more than 30 countries and assets of more than $100 billion.
The Problem
The marine transportation division is responsible for managing the fleet-based transport of the company’s crude and refined products. As part of the company’s five-year plan to improve overall performance, the division was tasked with increasing fleet utilization globally by 6% – a goal that would translate into $40 million in cost savings. Given the complexity and scope of the division’s business processes, meeting this objective would be challenging. It was made even more so due to the fact that the division’s information workers – from the executive vice president to the chartering specialists who planned the logistics for each voyage – did not have an automated reporting system that integrated relevant data so that key metrics such as vessel capacity utilization and demurrage could be proactively monitored. Relevant data was stored in two systems of record. Planning and forecast data related to fleet management was housed in Veson Nautical’s Integrated Maritime Operations System (IMOS). Data related to actual costs was stored in SAP Business Warehouse (SAP/BW). For division personnel, comparing forecast to actual costs involved manually moving the data into Excel. What was needed was a robust performance management solution that would allow staff to quickly drill down into the data they need in order to monitor progress towards the company’s defined fleet utilization goals.
The Solution
Stonebridge developed an easy-to-understand dashboard solution, built on the Microsoft business intelligence technology stack, which provides quick drill-down capabilities for business performance analysis. Data is extracted from SAP/BW using a third-party development tool, ERP-Link, which enables SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) to communicate with SAP information stores. Leveraging SSIS’s native ETL processes, the solution combines data from SAP/BW and IMOS in a SQL Server database. For ad hoc queries, multi-dimensional cubes, developed within SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS), enable quick aggregations and summations of data from the SQL Server environment. The user interface, built on PerformancePoint Server 2007, uses simple three-color “traffic light” icons to give staff a quick snapshot of fleet utilization. The dashboard’s intuitive navigation design enables information workers to drill down for details within specific metrics – e.g., bunker purchases, spot chartering, out-charters, and settled and outstanding demurrage claims.
The Benefits
The dashboard provides the marine transportation division with greater visibility into its progress in achieving the company’s goals for fleet utilization and demurrage negotiation management. The solution is an easy-to-understand, easy-to-use business intelligence tool that enables a broad range of information workers – from chartering specialists to the division’s chief executive – to proactively monitor business performance across a broad range of process-centric metrics, and to do so in the familiar SharePoint collaborative environment. The solution enabled the company to achieve instant ROI by leveraging existing SAP and Microsoft investments. The company is so pleased with the results of the marine transportation dashboard that it is planning to use it as a framework for developing similar solutions for its truck and rail transportation divisions.