Lifecycle concepts that reduce costs and carbon footprint

New business models are being adopted in the marine industry to increase efficiency, minimize risks, lower costs while ideally minimizing carbon footprint at the same time. One of these models is the digitalization and outsourcing of lifecycle services. It is not a new model for marine per se, but it is being adopted in new areas, such as hotel and crew areas.

Blog post by Hervé Touzard, Vice President Life Cycle Services

Digital tools bring measurability

“If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.”, said Peter Drucker. Today’s digitalization tools give access to real-time data, which provides the possibility to improve efficiency and save costs. With the help of real-time data, decision makers get deep intel about complex systems and operation inefficiencies that can be avoided.

The hotel, especially catering areas onboard, are an ecosystem of which decision makers still have very little facts to base their decisions on.

Digital service tools can be used for planning future projects’ layouts and maintaining equipment more efficiently. However, this means installing hardware for data collection is only the beginning. Processes for analysing the data and turning it into actionable knowledge available to all users, both onboard and ashore and for users and managers, is also crucial.

Outsourcing and “servitization”

Scarce resources and extremely tight budgets have caused operational optimization to become front and centre for owners and operators. Outsourcing service tasks, such as procurement, supply chain and maintenance, is one way to minimize risks and cut down on fixed costs.

By grouping lifecycle services into three groups, simple repetitive tasks, specialist tasks and strategical tasks, owners and operators can build a tailor-made lifecycle plan that suits their specific organization. They can reinforce their own inhouse capabilities for the commodities of strategical importance and outsourcing tasks that are simple and repetitive and tasks that require external specialists.

Due to the recent economic downturn, many manufacturers are leaning more towards creating “servitization” models, meaning a stronger focus on producing durable and easy-to-serve equipment, while outsourcing maintenance and replacement to preferred partners specialized in marine lifecycle services.

Both sides of the chain, meaning owners and manufacturers, are interested in sharing the burden of lifecycle management with specialized companies that can bundle volumes and various brands together. By having only one technician servicing several brands at once, we can reduce the number of flights drastically. Technicians can travel less and in a less stressful way, which is good for their health as well as reduces the whole Maintenance carbon footprint dramatically.

The new way to do lifecycle management

Combining digitalization with outsourcing of certain lifecycle tasks, offers the possibility to discover new and more cost-efficient ways to operate hotel areas. In a world where “nice to have projects” have disappeared, it becomes inevitable that new business models will emerge and become the “must have” projects of tomorrow. This is especially true when the projects help reduce the lifecycle’s environmental impact.

At ALMACO, we offer our customers an app that contains all the functionalities needed for storing equipment data, viewing maintenance calendars and planning interventions. To find out more about this solution, please contact us.

For more information, contact

Hervé Touzard

Deputy to the President, Lifecycle Services Division

+33 6 8597 3048

[email protected]