Big data is the buzzphrase

Jakub Walenkiewicz, principal market analyst at DNV-GL, said that over the last few years the shipping industry has gone from too little information to too much, but the real challenge is how to use data effectively to drive up performance.

One example of how ports are using data to improve efficiency is with port community systems.

Alan Long, chairman, International Port Community Systems Association (IPCSA), talked about how electronic port community system can handle many things including road and rail transportation, dangerous and polluting goods and waste reporting.

They also address the challenge of exchange of information throughout the supply chain.

Information exchange

But big data takes information exchange to a whole new level, bringing together the whole supply chain to share data in a seamless fashion.

Bruce Weinelt, head of digital transformation at the World Economic Forum, talked about the world’s most successful digital companies which are data sharers.

Facebook is the world’s biggest media company but it produces no content, and Air b&b has no real estate. But they are both digital sharing platforms.

He said that their success was due to the plummeting cost of technology plus the fact software can be used in conjunction with one another.

Digital interfaces make interactions seamless, allow for hyper-personalisation and give convenience on demand.

For example, Caterpillar monitors its digital footprints – it has live data for load, maintenance, emissions on all equipment. This has had a real effect on the bottom line achieving a 50% increase in efficiency of equipment.

But those slow to embrace big data should heed a warning. “If you rest on your laurels you will be overtaken by the competition,” he said.

Information for everyone

It’s not just bigger companies that can jump on the big data bandwagon. Ben Hodgson, from the BMT Group said that smaller companies can also get access to cost effective, innovative forms of information processing online.

Ports data is not that big when you look at Google which handles 40,000 search requests every second, so there is no need to invest in big data because it is trendy, information processing can be handled in-house, he said.

“Big data is just about data driven decisions – maintenance is a good example. It’s all about the pay off with big data.”

“But the exciting aspect is that it allows users to partner together to improve the efficiency of the whole supply chain, not just in the port in terms of operational improvement. It enables you to integrate other stakeholders,” Mr Hodgson said.

The big data concept is akin to the keynote address by the American economic and social theorist, Jeremy Rifkin, on the second day of the conference. During his talk, Mr Rifkin called for ports to enter into the ‘third industrial revolution’ governed by internet technology and renewable energy. Or be left behind. The larger consequences being that if we don’t get to grips with climate change, human life will pay the consequences as early as the middle of this century.

Henrik Hololei, director general, DG MOVE European Commission, summed up the conference quite well when he said: “The chain is only as strong as the weakest link, the whole logistics chain needs to work well together to be efficient.”

“The real challenge is for European ports is to get better with intermodality and create sustainable transport links.”