XELLZ, a company in-the-know when it comes to using digital solutions to optimise logistics and operations, has much to share on the subject of digitalisation and transparency including the limitations of technology and the value of the human factor.
Despite the lack of standardisation and the complexity of transport logistics, there is an abundance of new ideas, technologies and platforms that can significantly enhance operational efficiency within the project cargo industry.
XELLZ believes that all the systems they have created, technological or otherwise, have one basic common drive, “to make things easier for us, our customers, and for the projects we control,” says Peter Bouwhuis, CEO, XELLZ.
Project cargo logistics is a very different animal to other logistics. Every shipment is different, with hundreds of varying factors and to digitalise the process completely is difficult. What cannot be digitalised, can be monitored digitally.
“For instance, cargo handling and seafastening can be monitored using a tool such as SurveyCam. This innovative tool takes video evidence for inspection reporting, checklists and uploads all the data to the cloud for customer, insurance company, contractor to see,” says Bouwhuis.
SurveyCam provides online tools for the maritime logistics industry to record logistics operations, route surveys, and any damages. XELLZ uses this tool daily to gather data from their field managers on site. They say that RVI (Remote Video Inspection) is ideal for staff who are present at a job site or even the job site staff themselves that need to perform an inspection or survey. The tool produces an instant report that is sharable online with customers, the project team, or anybody that needs to have the information.
Project Data
All data is checked and verified before going into the system. “Information is power, but you need the right valuable data.”
XELLZ developed an in-house platform called ProjeXsmart to handle all the data. The platform has its own database and manages links to other databases rather than duplicating the work. ProjeXsmart is a platform where all project documentation, communication, data, pricing and scheduling is stored and shared. Photographs and videos can also be uploaded to the platform. The platform virtually controls the project, manages the team tasks, sends notifications for upcoming tasks and identifies potential delays for the project as well as keeping everything on a tight schedule and on budget.
“The online platform is our backbone where we can manage any task in the project and keep you alerted automatically so that nothing is left to chance. This technology generates transparency and gives clarity to all parties involved,” says Amanda Labee, Assistant VicePresident XELLZ.
Mission Control
The Project Logistics Control Centre (PLCC) is essentially the “mission control” hub. The centre brings all information and communication together into one online location and creates a single point of collaboration eliminating duplication of work. It is a critical environment operated by a team of people with 100% control, productivity, transparency, and efficiency to ensure the success of projects for multidisciplined organisations.
PLCCs are the perfect fit to see the big picture through all lenses of the project and leave nothing in the shadows. This enables a safe and timely risk-analysis which is a major factor in getting the “element of surprise” under control.
Peter Bouwhuis says, “One of the main advantages of our PLCCs is the ability to bring many different disciplines together and establish connections between them. That way, project logistics managers can be in control of all different sources at the same time. Without these logistics control centres, every discipline would need a different source to try and collaborate with each other, resulting in a significant loss of time and high costs.”
PLCCs direct ships, trucks, aircrafts and any other transport or element that is needed for the project as well as other relevant resources to reach the job site on time. During crisis situations such as natural disasters, coordination between the project logistics centres can potentially prevent project failure and save significant financial loss.
Transcending Transparency
Transparency is not just about the project plans or how project cargo freight is transported. Transparency is about the whole chain of events and the entire pricing and rate structure.
XELLZ has a policy that is conducive to complete open communication before, during, and after the project. Starting with the pre-planning where all technical and possible solutions are shared, all pricing and cost options and models are communicated, and negotiations with (sub)-contractors are carried out in the open with the customer to ensure the best and optimum cost solution is chosen.
Using ProjeXsmart, XELLZ says they can lower the total cost of project logistics by over 25 percent as well as offering 100 percent transparency across the entire project lifetime.
Results
Results show that control and focus are heightened, and any action taken by the team in charge is proactive instead of reactive. As is the case in most projects, being proactive mitigates risk and avoids a crisis.
“Getting a project finished in time and within budget has always and still is the goal that we all strive for, so let’s look at technology as an aid to logistics control and not to automate the control.”
Technology is needed and digitalisation is essential when operating offshore or onshore projects. The logistics is too complex and subject to constant change and outside influences that would easily disrupt a more manual process. A digitalised Project Logistics Control Centre operated by a team is the best approach.
Technology helps improve the project focus and control in many ways, but it should never be forgotten that this cannot be achieved without human intelligence. When it comes to developing beneficial PLCCs, there is a fine balance that must be found between human and technological factors. We should think twice about eliminating manpower from complex processes to rely solely on technology.
Team of Xellers
XELLZ are tackling new challenges and transitioning project logistics into a smart sector the “XELLZ way” with transparency, trust and technology.
Headquartered near Amsterdam, XELLZ provides worldwide project logistics management from their offices in the Netherlands, the U.S., Ireland, Nigeria and Germany.
The XELLZ team are currently busy with four upcoming ‘Energy Transition’ projects in Germany and the US, the largest of their kind in these countries. XELLZ is also making headlines with their early involvement in offshore wind farms off the coast of Ireland, where 24shore (a division of XELLZ) has secured over 300.000m2 of land at the port of Rosslare.
XELLZ Ireland Ltd. is in discussions with energy companies and others interested in the installation of these offshore wind farms. 24shore will also develop the European Business Park (EBP) on the land connected to the port area with direct access to the quay and will be used for offshore supply base operations including pre-installation assembly and mobilisation. The area also offers SME’s a space to locate their business during and after the construction and maintenance & repair.
XELLZ B.V.
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