Cloud-based solution: An asset for port

"It was also time-consuming to generate and update the reports we required, and interpreting inconclusive data was a complex and frustrating task. When predicting maintenance activities such as asset or component replacements, technical staff often had to rely on their instincts and experience to formulate lifecycle data decisions.”

Port Otago also found it challenging to obtain detailed breakdowns of costs: "It was often difficult to obtain adequate data on key metrics, which we needed for maintenance reports,” adds Smillie. "The data we had only provided a high-level view, making our analysis sketchy at best.”

Port Otago also lacked a reliable inventory management system: for example, spare parts were not catalogued when they were purchased, which gave the business no ability to track usage or guide forward purchasing decisions.

"It was common to place orders for a component from a European supplier only to discover, just a few days later, that we needed additional items or different quantities from the same company,” says Bob Smillie. "Random direct purchasing activities were widespread, increasing costs and impacting our ability to reliably plan and coordinate work activities. This was especially a problem when our work required the operation to commit to planned maintenance downtime of critical business assets.”

Cloud-based solution

Following an analysis of available enterprise asset management software and potential support partners, Port Otago worked with IBM business partner, BPD Zenith, to deploy New Zealand’s first implementation of the BPD Zenith MaxiCloud solution. This is based on IBM Maximo Asset Management software, running in a cloud environment.

"BPD Zenith’s expertise was vital to this deployment,” says Bob Smillie. "In addition to finding a supplier, I wanted to achieve a reliable partnership model where we could work closely to drive significant change across the business through modern and aligned systems and processes. My aim was definitely a journey with a collaborative partner rather than an event with a one-time supplier.

"BPD Zenith’s approach and the MaxiCloud solution allowed us to take advantage of all the benefits of a widely used enterprise asset management solution to deliver high asset availability, combined with reliable and predictable performance – and best practice-focused system development opportunities. It was a strategic approach to our future – without the need to hire additional support resources to manage it.”