Inco Ships
Sharing Electronic Documents Oceans Away
Highlights
- Streamlined Distribution of Updated Protocols
- Simplified Quarterly Verification Process
- Centralized Personnel Records
Use Case
Digitalization
Quality Management
Training Management
Version Management
Workflow Automation
Industry
Transportation and Logistics
Country
Australia
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Company Introduction
Sydney-based Inco Ships offers manufacturers and distributors a way to outsource the entirety of their maritime shipping operations. Inco runs a fleet of 15 cargo carriers complete with all the crew, supplies, and technical expertise for a safe transoceanic crossing.
Key Challenges Before M-Files
Safety and quality are top priorities when handling other people’s cargo, so Inco managers review and revise the ships’ procedures and checklists four times a year. The difficulty came with communication of these changes with the crews.
“We used to print out updates of loose-leaf manuals each quarter and post them out to each of the ships,” explains Andrew Dally, Managing Director. “We expected personnel on the vessel would the take the old pages out and replace them with the revised ones, but that wasn’t always done correctly.”
"We recently completed two external ISM code audits. Both auditors independently praised our use of M-Files in regard to documentation control and to the fact that our quality manuals were the most up-to-date."
Andrew Dally, Managing Director, Inco Ships
"Now the process to produce the crew’s quality assurance and safety manuals is totally electronic,” Dally says. “Once the manuals are published, they are automatically accessible to each of our vessels via Fineline or by satellite."
Andrew Dally, Managing Director, Inco Ships
The M-Files Solution
Getting All Vessels on The Same Page
Dally looked for a document management system to help both management the continual review cycles and the distribution of the updated protocols.
He came across the easy-to-use M-Files software through an Internet search. M-Files establishes a single source of truth for all company documents that employees can securely access from anywhere. M-Files easily solves document access problems for companies split between branch offices. In Inco’s case, its branch offices are floating all over the Pacific.
“Now the process to produce the crew’s quality assurance and safety manuals is totally electronic,” Dally says. “Once the manuals are published, they are automatically accessible to each of our vessels via Fineline or by satellite.”
The Results
Shortening Cycles of Collaborative Review
While M-Files ensures seafarers are always consulting the right version of guidelines, back in Sydney the workflow features in M-Files smooth out the quarterly verification process. Managers can now easily see which items have been through review, and which still await approval.
Since its adoption for safety and QA documents, managers have found additional uses for the software, such as centralizing personnel records, crew contracts, and payroll. Crew leaders at sea now have immediate access to the latest updates in human resource information.
Partner
Link Technologies Tasmania
Link Technologies Tasmania is a locally owned and operated Tasmanian company that has been in business since 1989. The company offers comprehensive sales and support on office equipment, IT services, networking, software solutions including workflows and work processes.
Why M-Files?
M-Files is the leading platform for knowledge work automation. With the M-Files platform, knowledge workers can find information faster, work smarter, and achieve more. M-Files features an innovative metadata-driven architecture, embedded workflow engine, and advanced artificial intelligence. This enables customers to eliminate information chaos, improve process efficiency, and automate security and compliance.
