Recent trends in the shipping industry are changing how suppliers of marine equipment handle customer support. With more standardized equipment, the availability of increasingly sophisticated marine electronic systems, smaller crews and tighter deadlines, shipping companies have come to expect a higher grade of customer support available all over the world, year round. "We're seeing a demand for better, faster and comprehensive global service," said Dag Pettersen, president customer support for Kongsberg Norcontrol AS, a leading provider of marine navigation and control systems for the shipping industry. While today's advanced equipment is more reliable and requires fewer spare parts than ever before…