Congratulations to the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), which has won a prestigious IBM TechXchange award following our work together to digitise its cargo management.
The award – announced in a ceremony in LA – follows our project supporting BAS with establishing a digital system for managing and tracking cargo on board its flagship Sir David Attenborough research vessel. Previously, BAS had managed the cargo through an Excel system.
BAS won in the “excellence in operational efficiency” category which recognises ‘forward thinking organisations….(who are) finding better ways to use data and advanced technologies like AI and analytics to achieve and exceed operational goals.’
Our team worked alongside BAS to build several tailored applications within its Maximo enterprise asset management platform. Bills of lading – the legal documents issued to detail the type, quantity and destination of the goods being carried – are now all handled within Maximo as is the monitoring and management of the goods such as their allocation into containers.
Millions of pounds worth of goods are now being tracked and managed by BAS through the Maximo cargo system. It has seen the cycle time for cargo record creation cut in half and been able to replace seven spreadsheets.
David Ganiford, Maximo System Manager at the British Antarctic Survey, said: “Having the custom cargo management applications to cover each stage of our bespoke resupply processes will not only make us more efficient but is also a step change in data accuracy, something that is vital given the limited accessibility we have to our polar research stations.”
He said that the key aim of the system development was to make all aspects of the logistics process as intuitive and transparent as possible.
Ash Patel, Cohesive’s project manager, said: “It has been such a privilege to work with BAS and help them on their digital asset management journey. This win is well-deserved.”
Announcing the award, IBM said: “The bespoke cargo management system…means that the British Antarctic Survey can track all stages to cover the resupply of their polar operation.”
The award-winning BAS Maximo Enterprise and Supply Chain Logistics teams have proven to be highly innovative and forward thinking in their approach and adoption of digital tools and determination to embed a data-driven, efficient approach to their operations.
Cohesive first collaborated with BAS in 2018 when we implemented Maximo onboard the Sir David Attenborough (SDA), in its Cambridge HQ and on their research stations in Antarctica.
For more news about our activities, visit our LinkedIn page.