Danelec Marine Unveils eSERVICEConnect Initiative

 

Danelec Marine launched its new eSERVICEConnect initiative today in a move to automate and streamline shipboard service for its products worldwide.

Danelec’s eSERVICEConnect is an Internet, cloud-based solution designed to provide seamless integration of the ship service process by connecting the equipment manufacturer, service company and shipmanager to ensure fast, efficient and high-quality service for ships anywhere in the world.

The eSERVICEConnect platform will be rolled out in phases during the next six months, starting with installations and annual performance tests (APTs) for Danelec Voyage Data Recorders (VDRs) and Simplified Voyage Data Recorders (S-VDRs). It will be expanded to cover all types of service calls for Danelec equipment by autumn.

eSERVICEConnect will automate many of the traditional manual processes involved in planning and executing a ship service call.

·         When a request for service is received from a shipmanager, the service company will log onto Danelec eSERVICEConnect and retrieve information about previous service issues.
·         The service company will plan the service call and pre-alert the shipmanager with potential issues to be addressed, assuring that service technicians are fully prepared for the call and minimizing their time aboard the ship.
·         At the end of the service call, the technician uses the eSERVICEConnect tool to perform an automated error check procedure, allowing the service technician to verify product performance before leaving the ship. The tool also extracts a data sample from the VDR.

Once ashore, the service technician will connect to the Internet and send the data sample to Danelec. The Danelec technical team reviews the data as part of the quality control procedure and rates the quality of the service job. If the vessel has had more than one service call recently, it initiates a “red flag” warning, and the Danelec team develops a plan for solving the issue and monitoring for repeat occurrences. Reports are automatically generated to the service company’s and shipmanager’s eSERVICEConnect accounts.

“Our goal is to be the world’s most efficient marine electronics manufacturing company when it comes to shipboard service for our products,” said Hans Ottosen, Danelec CEO. “The eSERVICEConnect Web portal—combined with our unique SoftWare Advanced Protection (SWAP) technology for hot-swappable shipboard replacement, our VDRConnect remote access and our rigorous in-house quality procedures—will bring unprecedented levels of consistency and efficiency to shipboard service.”

For the manufacturer, eSERVICEConnect ensures standardized procedures are followed in installations, APTs and service. It also provides consistent quality control, rates the work performed by the service technicians and “red flags” any unresolved issues or early warning signs of potential points of failure. For the service company, it helps prepare for the service call by accessing information on previous service issues, real-time warranty information and an overview of the service history. For the shipmanager, eSERVICEConnect yields information about the service status of the equipment, the ship’s service history and recommendations for upcoming service.

“We’re out to create a paradigm shift in the maritime industry,” said Ottosen. “Traditionally, shipboard service has been the weakest link in marine electronics. Equipment manufacturers had little control over service partners scattered all around the world in different time zones. The service technicians often are ill-prepared when they board the ship, spending hours troubleshooting, obtaining the correct parts and repairing the equipment. This can hold up the ship’s sailing schedule, and the shipmanager has to sort it all out at a distance. With eSERVICEConnect, we make it easy for all the parties to communicate seamlessly, rapidly and accurately.”