NEW YORK, April 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global transport
and logistics powerhouse Maersk announced on Wednesday that it has
joined forces with Microsoft Corp. in a strategic move to
revolutionize supply-chain management and global trade. From its
connected vessels to its transportation economics, the company is
betting on Microsoft to fuel growth and power logistics globally.
This agreement means that:
- Microsoft has been selected as the preferred cloud partner for
Maersk's digital transformation journey, supporting its high-value
assets such as carrier performance, equipment utilization and
supplier performance.
- Microsoft Azure is the digital platform of record to power
Maersk's app store and help fuel business model innovations.
- Microsoft's intelligent cloud will be used to enhance
operational performance, increase the visibility and predictability
of supply chains, and improve service to millions of Maersk
customers worldwide.
In total, Maersk estimates that the power of data will help save
tens of millions of dollars to the bottom line annually. "Our aim
is to simplify and enhance visibility in supply chains by providing
a seamless end-to-end digital experience for our customers," said
Ibrahim Gokcen, chief digital
officer, Maersk. "Microsoft Azure is the cornerstone in our digital
strategy, providing one common platform shared by all our transport
and logistics businesses. On Azure, we are also creating a
marketplace of apps and digital products that improve operations
and drive better business decisions."
Maersk is the largest transport and logistics company in the
world with offices in 130 countries and a fleet of more than 1,000
vessels. The company's container carrier, Maersk Line, sails in all
major trade lanes, transporting more than 17 million containers
annually, and its terminal operating unit, APM Terminals, is
operating in more than 70 ports worldwide. Delays in manufacturing,
bad weather, terminal bottlenecks and other incidents routinely
cause disruptions to global supply chains. The ability to
anticipate, make timely decisions and take swift action is critical
when millions of dollars are on the line and unforeseen events
impact shipments and business productivity.
Maersk has big plans to leverage digital solutions to
revolutionize the way it operates its assets, some of which are
already underway. Today every ship is tracked by GPS and connected
to shore by satellite communications. Using data generated from
flow meters, control and alarm systems, sensors, and time stamps,
Maersk can analyze and improve fuel efficiency, reduce port stays
and provide better network designs. Maersk Line has also harnessed
data to effectively lower emissions per transported container by 42
percent between 2007 and 2016.
Damco, Maersk's business unit for supply-chain solutions,
recently launched several digital supply-chain solutions built on
Microsoft Azure. The next app to be launched is a digital app for
Customs House Brokerage. The preparation of documents to clear
goods is an increasingly important part of the supply chain.
Damco's solution provides customers with outstanding visibility as
well as the ability to manage the clearing of goods by exception.
The app combines big data from both internal and external sources,
which increases the capability for analytics including exception
management and predictive analytics. All this plus a top-notch user
experience makes it a true differentiator in the industry.
Data is a key resource in supply-chain management tasks such as
forecasting, planning and tracking customer deliveries. The sheer
volume of data Maersk generates presents an enormous opportunity,
and one that is largely untapped. With the power of the Microsoft
Cloud, Maersk is turning on the data spigot to provide actionable
insights for tactical and strategic decision-making and operational
efficiencies, as well as to create new lines of business and
revenue streams.
"The future of Maersk is very exciting. As a forward-thinking
company, it is digitally transforming its massive logistics network
to bring even greater value to its customers," said Judson Althoff, executive vice president,
Worldwide Commercial Business, Microsoft. "We are tremendously
honored that Maersk has selected Microsoft as its preferred cloud
partner for its most critical systems and applications."
Leveraging Microsoft technologies and advanced analytics, Maersk
will integrate container logistics across the value chain to
provide reliable, efficient services by increasing the performance
of its assets. By providing increased visibility and new products
and services, Maersk will increase the predictability of customers'
supply chains to drive cost leadership, and enhanced customer
experience and business model innovation. Maersk is also building a
digital platform (app store) to turn operational and commercial
data into software solutions powered by advanced analytics
for its Transport & Logistics division and its
customers.
"Eventually Maersk's vessels and containers and other assets
will be generating terabytes of data on operations and activities
in real time, and machines and people will be talking to each
other, learning things about our operations and our customers that
we can't even imagine now — and they'll be available as products,
for download," Gokcen said.
The announcement was made at Microsoft's Digital Difference
event in New York City. Additional
news and stories can be found
at www.microsoft.com/digitaldifference, and the conversation
can be followed on social media using the hashtag
#DigitalDifference.
About Maersk
A.P. Moller - Maersk is an
integrated transport & logistics company with multiple brands
and is a global leader in container shipping and ports. Including a
stand-alone Energy division, the company employs roughly 88,000
employees across operations in 130 countries.
Transport & Logistics consists of Maersk Line, APM
Terminals, Damco, Svitzer and Maersk Container Industry. The
mission of these businesses is to enable and facilitate global
supply chains and provide opportunities for our customers to trade
globally.
About Damco
Damco is at the forefront of developing innovative supply chain
solutions. Damco fuses its global network and depth of expertise
with pioneering digital innovations to enable customers to stay
ahead. Damco's vision is to connect and simplify supply chains
across the globe.
Damco is comprised of experts in the field of complex, rapidly
changing markets such as fashion, retail and technology. With a
presence in over 100 countries, and more than 11,000 employees
worldwide, Damco combines global reach with depth of local
understanding. In 2016 Damco reached a turnover of 2.5 billion U.S. dollars, managed 659 thousand
TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of ocean freight, and 190
thousand tons of air freight.
Damco is proud to be a part of A.P.
Moller – Maersk.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @Microsoft) is the leading platform and
productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and
its mission is to empower every person and every organization on
the planet to achieve more.
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SOURCE Microsoft Corp.