KPI Targets Data Across Entire Maritime Sector

One independent Association which can collect, collate and correlate industry-specific data on behalf of the whole maritime sector is what the newly restructured KPI Association Limited (KPIA) aims to be, the company said.

The KPI Association Limited (KPIA), is a not-for-profit body which now oversees the industry-wide KPI Project, pioneered originally by ship management association InterManager. As it moves to represent the global shipping industry, KPIA is being restructured during 2014 to enable it to better serve the whole maritime sector and to embrace its new vision statement: ”to promote safety at sea and to promote best practice in the global shipping industry.”

Putting into action its key plans, KPIA is inviting influential industry organizations to join its KPI Trust which feeds in to the Board and is in the process of appointing leading maritime companies to the KPIA Board of Directors. In addition, KPIA’s future has been strengthened by the selection of an independent consultancy company, the Denmark-based ITOLEAD Consulting Group, to develop its global strategies.

In addition, KPIA is aiming to appoint a global network of regional KPIA-certified consultants to form the first point of contact for shipping companies, stakeholders and maritime organizations to help them understand how introducing key performance indicators can benefit their businesses. The certified consultants will also assist companies with the strategic selection and implementation of KPIs and in-house training etc.

Helle Gleie, KPIA Executive Director, explained, “Having a global network of consultants will enable KPIA to better advise the shipping industry in the use of  performance indicators and statistics as well as giving us a vital point of contact to receive feedback and inspiration from the maritime sector.”

The network of consultants will also liaise with a KPI Expert Group, made up of representatives from key maritime organizations and companies, who will have the responsibility to develop and adapt KPIs to meet emerging industry needs and expectations. In addition, leading industry academics will work with the project to identify relevant trends and correlations in the data which, alongside feedback from KPI users, will assist in boosting performance efficiency, maritime safety and meeting environmental standards.

These developments aim to help make the introduction of performance monitoring easier for the maritime sector. Helle Gleie said, “Many companies have struggled when deciding if, when or how to implement shipping KPIs, or have not known how to collect and share this information. Our new structure will enable us to assist with this challenge and spread understanding of how to gather this information to secure meaningful, future focused and commercially beneficial results.”

The KPI Project provides performance measuring for shipping businesses across a wide range of agreed and clearly defined industry key performance indicators. The Project is accessed by customers through an international web-based system developed and maintained by Cyprus-based IT specialist SOFTimpact: www.shipping-kpi.org

Already the KPI Project is benefiting its subscribers, providing valuable benchmarking information to enahnce their business performance and meet international standards and environmental targets. The system securely collates internal data from individual companies while enabling benchmarking against the wider industry. Data is currently being received from more than 2,000 vessels worldwide with more joining each month.

Looking forward, working with independent expert acadaemia, KPIA plans to produce quarterly reports to make specfic and relevant information based on its data available to shipping industry segments, as well as a wider industry audience, to enable commercial use of the information, to enhance best practice and to allow a greater and wider understanding of information.

Ms. Gleie said, “KPIA is confident that the new structure can and will make a difference to its users and the industry as a whole. Only by working together during times of fast change and by sharing knowledge, the industry can develop responsibly and financially with the desired speed.”