Berge Bulk Digitalizes Its Procurement
A dry bulk shipping company looking to enhance efficiency, cut costs and create complete procurement transparency has turned to digital procurement through Ligimatic's SERTICA fleet management system.
Singapore-based Berge Bulk, which controls a fleet of 70 vessels, including some of the largest in the world, equating to over 10 million DWT, invested in SERTICA in 2014, but has recently added Moscord Marketplace digital procurement to its exiting solution.
SERTICA allows Berge Bulk to optimize internal procurement processes, with more than 600 employees able to log into the system both in the office and on board the vessels. By integrating Moscord as a third-party solution into SERTICA, onboard users at sea can now benefit from easy access to Berge Bulk’s catalog, choosing specific items and creating the required requisition order.
Sim Teck Siang, Procurement Manager at Berge Bulk says the benefits dovetail perfectly with the shipowner’s broader procurement ambitions: “As a team, we’re focused on ensuring vital supplies reach our vessels in a timely and efficient manner, but they also have to be the right products, at the correct prices – giving the end user the quality and specifications they require, while delivering optimal value for our business and its stakeholders.”
Berge Bulk continuously seeks to maximize data utilization to further streamline procurement processes. All purchase data is centralized and allows detailed analysis, while received orders are automatically added for stock counts and inventory management. All information for payment and accounting is also channeled through the system.
Sim Teck Siang explains, “SERTICA helps us create a standardized process and enjoy greater predictability, also giving us the data to ensure we understand purchasing patterns and can, where applicable, build predictive ordering and automated processes. We see this as a key enabler to unlock added value in procurement.”
Moving to digital procurement means that Berge Bulk no longer need to spend time on importing and exporting data between systems. They manage everything in SERTICA – even procurement directly in the Moscord e-portal.
When a Berge Bulk ship staff has chosen a product in Moscord, the corresponding item is automatically found in SERTICA, which makes Inventory Management more efficient for the daily user.
By tagging all items with a SERTICA sticker and QR code, Berge Bulk always has a reliable stock update of items available on each ship.
More than 400 officers have received extensive training in SERTICA, and the crew uses the SERTICA Stock App to find the right spare parts. This allows them to push spare parts lists directly into SERTICA to speed up the delivery time.
By centralizing procurement in SERTICA with an integration to Moscord, Berge Bulk has achieved an efficient and digital procurement platform with short delivery times, accurate ordering process, and the lowest possible prices. Sim Teck Siang concludes, “SERTICA gives us full control and insight into purchasing. This has increased the productivity of the team by 25%.”
