Arhus has the largest port in Denmark. It is a modern port suitable for handling containers, dry bulk, liquid bulk and passengers. The Port of Arhus has the responsibility of developing port infrastructure in addition to secure safe vessel traffic in and around the port. The unique location and quality of infrastructure and the facilities provided by the Port of Arhus is the main reason why customers love coming to the Port of Arhus.

A major challenge for the port is the timely, complete and correct invoicing of revenues generated from these typical port activities. Ultimate Maritime Logistics has solved this and more for the Port of Arhus.

All revenue streams run through Flex Maritime Logistics

The Port of Arhus has three main revenue streams, lease of land, warehouses or offices, vessel and cargo dues to vessels visiting the port and crane hire for stevedores who use the cranes for loading and discharging cargo. All these port activities are implemented in Ultimate Maritime Logistics' solution. This solution is fully integrated with Microsoft Dynamics 365FO. The operational port activities generate revenue transactions that are processed into invoices, accounts receivable and ledger transactions within D365FO's financial modules. This seamless integration makes work more efficient and brings the Port of Arhus in control on the challenge of complete, timely and accurate reporting.

Port activities within ERP

All operations of the Port of Arhus find a place within Ultimate Maritime Logistics' dedicated maritime solution. The operational maritime modules use the structures and modules within D365FO's standard ERP. For example, if workers or machines are planned, the availability of these resources is determined by integrations with D365FO. For worker availability during scheduling, the leave & absence option in the HR module is used. When scheduling machines, it is determined if no maintenance has been planned or failure has been reported on resource within the EAM (asset management) module.

Other examples include the use of centrally managed customers, suppliers and other parties with a role within operational port operations. The audit trail from the general ledger through the invoice to the operational source is thus guaranteed.  Also, no activities can take place for a customer that has not been validated by credit control. All these examples increase efficiency in daily work and guarantee control of business processes.

Flex Maritime Logistics for the Port of Arhus

The Port of Arhus uses several modules from Flex Maritime Logistics for its port operations. Property management for managing and leasing infrastructure, Port Call management for planning and managing vessel visits and Crane management for planning and invoicing crane orders.

Property management

For managing and lease of infrastructure, all plots and buildings are created within the property management module and setup with specific characteristics and attributes. These include the location, address, geo-coordinates, m2, type or grouping of a property and the parties that may be associated with a property. Within the definition of a building, floors and rooms can be defined and divided into leasable units. Inventory and equipment can also be captured on a property. This equipment can have a relation with the EAM module for maintenance.

The entire infrastructure is thus recorded within the system.

The properties can then be leased within a contract for a certain period. The contracts themselves can have different types to differentiate in pricing and management. Revision and other expiry dates are set on the contracts to ensure efficiency in management. Users are alerted by the system when a date is about to expire.

With the combination of properties and contracts, Port of Arhus has insight into the occupancy rate of the properties and expected revenues expand in time.

From the contracts, invoice proposals are generated periodically to invoice the agreed amounts on time. In this way, Port of Arhus is in control on their cash-flow.

Port call management

The port call management module is one of the most important modules within Flex Maritime Logistics. Here, the Port of Arhus plans vessel visits and the activities during a port call. To initiate a port call, the vessel with its characteristics and measurements is a determining factor. Having the correct data of the vessel is crucial for vessel traffic safety, planning at berth and calculation of port dues. To capture this data correctly, each vessel is validated through integration with an external vessel database. Thus, the Port of Arhus guarantees a correct starting point for further activities.

The request for a vessel visit is made by the port agent. The latter can enter this request on an agency portal and share the necessary information and documentation digitally with the port. The request immediately appears on the vessel overview 'watch list'. After validating the completeness and correctness of the application, it can be accepted. The accepted port call is managed by the port together with the agent from then on. The expected time of arrival is a fact on which other activities are planned. The 'Watch list' plays an important role here. Pilots, tugs and boatmen coordinate and plan their activities on the data from this overview.

The actuals of the port activities are reported to the system via mobile apps so that recording is done directly at the source. This data is further used for reporting, for example to the Danish Pilots Association. In this way, the Port of Arhus is always compliant in their obligations to external parties and internal reporting is also always 'up to date'

The cargo handled during a port call is recorded using third-party integrations or manually. This forms an important basis for calculating cargo dues and cargo handling statistics.

After a vessel departure, all services provided, and vessel/cargo dues are invoiced to the agent. Specific calculation methods common in maritime logistics can be applied in Flex Maritime Logistics to create a correct proposal. This complete invoice proposal is converted into an invoice that leads directly to financial results in the accounts. Thus, the Port of Arhus is always in control by being able to report on time, correct and complete revenue figures.

Crane management

The Port of Arhus owns and operates cranes. There is also a pool of crane drivers that can be used for operating the cranes. For a port call, the stevedore can order one or more cranes. These crane orders are directly linked to a port call and therefore run with the vessel planning. The requirement for cranes and operators is shown per day in one overview. Suitable and available crane operators are easily scheduled in several shifts across the various crane orders. This planning is shared digitally with the crane operators via text messages. Efficient and fast!

Again, Flex Maritime Logistics automatically generates invoice proposals for the crane orders, across the various shifts with the correct rates. These are processed daily into invoices and posted directly on the customer sub-administration and general ledger.

Are you interested or want to know how this can work for your organisation? Then  contact us for an intake or quick scan.