A leading container terminal on the west coast of the United States handles ultra-large container vessels with over ten ship-to-shore cranes simultaneously. To advance its operational capabilities, the container terminal selected Ultimo as its new Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) system, partnering with MaxGrip for the implementation.
Ambitions: Next Steps in Modernization
The terminal is in the midst of a comprehensive modernization program aimed at significantly enhancing its operational capacity through activity densification. This modernization initiative seeks to optimize throughput while minimizing negative external impacts. As part of this strategic roadmap, the terminal implemented the Ultimo EAM system, positioning itself for the next phase of digital transformation in maintenance management.
Approach: Tailored Implementation Strategy
The MaxGrip implementation team started out with doing a business scan, which entailed going over all of the areas of being empowered to perform; data, systems & tools, processes, roles & responsibilities and culture/ way of working. The insights form this scan combined with MaxGrip's specialists' experience were the baseline for the implementation blueprint.
Plan and Design
The planning phase focused on aligning business processes with the capabilities of Ultimo. Through collaborative workshops with key users, the team defined module configurations and data requirements. Regular design reviews ensured that the system met both operational needs and technical specifications.
Build and Realization
During the build phase, the project team focused on data migration and system configuration to fit the need of the customer. As the terminal has multiple contractors, each with their own spare parts warehouse, it was essential to configure Ultimo in the way that spare parts management can be done as efficiently as possible. Next to that, MaxGrip's consultants enhanced the quality of foundational data by extracting it from the legacy system, cleansing and transforming it to meet Ultimo standards, and finally migrating it into the new system. MaxGrip also configured the downtime reporting (which was not possible in the legacy system). This provides great insights into asset availability and reliability with which management can take data driven decisions. The Build and Realization phase concluded with rigorous testing and validation of the system's functional setup.
Key configuration highlights:
- Integration of Ultimo GO and the Connected Frontline Worker (CFW) functionality.
- Development of a seamless interface for ERP system integration, facilitating automated data exchange.
Comprehensive Training and Adoption
Training and familiarization with Ultimo is an important part of the roll out and full adoption of the new system. The MaxGrip implementation team provided in several ways. E-learning is offered for the first steps of familiarization with the EAM system. In addition, the terminal organized train the trainer sessions. In these sessions, a small group of employees was trained to enable them to train their fellow end users. In this way, ownership was transferred to the organization and this approach worked well for onward delivery of the functionality that is configured specifically for the organization. An additional benefit of this approach is that these trainers often become 'champions' of the system enabling them to provide long-term first line support internally.
Go-live and Stabilization
The go-live stage marked the transition to active use, supported by MaxGrip's extensive hyper care activities. The team provided on-the-job coaching, conducted Q&A sessions, and maintained a presence to address any issues promptly.
Benefits: Rapid Implementation and Full Adoption
Implementing a new EAM system in a complex environment is challenging, yet MaxGrip ensured a seamless transition with quick time to value and strong stakeholder engagement:
- 60-Day Implementation: due to MaxGrip's ability to quickly take the customer's requests and implement the tailored solutions, there was quick time to value in a complex organizational setting.
- High-Quality Data: Robust migration processes delivered a solid data foundation.
- Widespread internal adoption and stakeholder satisfaction;
- Enhanced Insights and Efficiency: Improved data control and automated ERP integration increased operational efficiency.
MaxGrip continues to work with the terminal to enhance maintenance management practices, ensuring ongoing value creation.
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