Ports of Auckland gets proactive maintenance right with DXC Eclipse

Ports of Auckland (Ports) serves New Zealand’s largest city. It is the country’s car import and cruise hub, and the most efficient container port in Australasia. It focuses on container terminal process optimization to add value to customers through high productivity rates and performs well above world averages on most measures relating to crane, ship and vessel rates.

Ports had an enterprise asset management (EAM) system in place that was basic and had only light integration with other business systems. While the organization did use Microsoft Dynamics AX, the light integration meant Ports wasn’t gaining the full benefits of the solution.

Furthermore, Ports needed to streamline its EAM program, moving to a more predictive and proactive approach, which would let the business plan maintenance activities up front. The business anticipated that this would reduce costs, introduce efficiencies and, crucially, reduce the chances of unplanned equipment downtime.

“Ports relied to a great extent on manually created spreadsheets to manage the maintenance program,” said Mike Osborne, engineering manager, Ports of Auckland. “This includes equipment such as straddle carriers that carry containers around the facility. If one of these is unexpectedly out of commission, it can cost the business substantially in terms of lost productivity and fees.”

Ports needed a solution that could automate most of its asset management, including scheduling maintenance in advance and ensuring that the right parts were available at the right time.

Solution

Ports chose DXC Eclipse to help it upgrade and improve its use of Dynamics AX ERP [Enterprise Resource Planning], which included the implementation of an APSmart Accounts Payable automation solution.

DXC Eclipse soon realized that Ports could achieve massive efficiency improvements across the business by integrating a leading asset management solution with Dynamics AX. Understanding Ports’ financial and asset requirements, DXC Eclipse recommended its own EAM solution, DXC Enterprise Asset Management, a Microsoftcertified ISV solution that is fully integrated within Dynamics AX.

“The solution developed by DXC Eclipse was the first one that catered functionally across a wide range of engineering requirements,” Osborne said. “Before, we had a system which served the engineering users with limited functionality, so it never got the business buy-in it needed. This system got full buy-in from the team because it was so comprehensive.”

DXC Enterprise Asset Management was purposely built on the Dynamics AX platform for asset intensive industries. The solution adds value to existing Dynamics AX functionality,such as inventory and procurement, by delivering cost savings, inventory reduction and better management of assets through forecasting and scheduling of maintenance and critical parts. The DXC Enterprise Asset Management solution also uses Microsoft reporting technology to provide information to the user, and integrates with Wonderware industrial automation software, which is the Ports’ core system for monitoring its machines.

Outcome and benefits

DXC Enterprise Asset Management lets Ports proactively manage its assets through preventive maintenance forecasting and scheduling. This includes ensuring that each part of the process runs seamlessly and there is no unwarranted downtime for any machine. From ensuring the workshop is ready for a specific machine to ordering the required parts in advance, DXC Enterprise Asset Management streamlines the entire process.

Additionally, DXC Enterprise Asset Management provides cost reporting so that Ports knows how much it costs to maintain each asset, including managing the capacity of the workforce and workshop. This is important because Ports engages thirdparty contractors for some tasks. Having these experts on-site can be costly, so it’s important to ensure that their time is optimized.

The system also makes it easier for Ports to conduct standard health and safety or compliance checks on equipment, leading to a safer workplace.

Prior to the implementation, Port’s previous system had become unwieldy and difficult to control. DXC Eclipse helped Ports clean up and take control of its own data, then reengineer the way their system was structured to support the business more effectively. For example, Ports wanted purchase orders, work orders and inventory all sitting under one umbrella in Dynamics AX, which hadn’t been possible in the past.

“Upgrading Dynamics AX and implementing DXC Enterprise Asset Management showed us the inefficiency in how we had been managing processes in the past, and it unleashed the potential of various individuals,” said Osborne. “For example, our new solution created space for supervisors to plan efficiently and by priority based on demand. This will ultimately mean that people are doing the right job at the right time, as well as letting us refine the process all the time.

“This solution from DXC Eclipse resulted in a total paradigm shift. The move toward more predictive maintenance has been hugely important and has introduced many important efficiencies into our processes. What’s more, people are coming up with new ways to leverage the solution every day.

“The solution helps us manage 70 staff and 135 contractors far more effectively; people can actually build a picture of their week now. We can get the right people in place at the right time, and with the integration back into Dynamics AX, we can also make sure they have the right parts and tools. It also means we can control inventory more effectively, freeing up capital and letting us manage our supply chain better.

“It’s telling that a project of this magnitude usually requires careful change management, but this one was almost business as usual at go-live [time]. That’s because of the work that had been done during the implementation process to include people and demonstrate the solution’s potential.

“An important contributing factor to the success of the project was also Ports’ own robust project team, their extensive pre-go-live testing and weeks of rigorous post-go-live user support, which led to a seamless change. People were eager to start using DXC Enterprise Asset Management.”

Working with DXC Eclipse

Ports and DXC Eclipse quickly developed a strong working relationship based on clear communication. The project involved a large number of users from the start so that the DXC team knew the challenges the users were facing and exactly what they wanted. DXC Eclipse overlaid that onto the product set so that before Ports had to make a decision, it could see a demonstration of software that met its team’s different requirements.

“That was just the start of a very good process,” said Osborne. “The DXC Eclipse DXC Asset Management development team listened to what we needed, as Ports had a very firm understanding of its requirements, i.e., we knew what we wanted, and DXC Eclipse was very accommodating to that.”

A partnership agreement allowed DXC Eclipse to put some of the functionality it developed for Ports back into the core product so it could be included as standard. That was important for Ports because it meant the system would be easier to maintain for the future. It also let DXC Eclipse improve its product overall.

“During the implementation process, DXC Eclipse was always available, and the communication was constant and transparent,” said Osborne. “If there was an issue, someone immediately took ownership of it and fixed it. As a result, the project proceeded smoothly. We always got a very fast turnaround from DXC Eclipse.”

Due to the success of this project, Ports will continue to work with DXC Eclipse to uncover the next round of opportunities. The team also was proactive and helped connect Ports with other potential partners.

“DXC Eclipse looks at the bigger picture and helps us understand where Dynamics AX is headed and how we can make use of the entire Microsoft stack, so they’ve become a real partner in that sense,” said Osborne.

“It was a significant achievement for both DXC Eclipse and Ports to get this project to run on time and to scope. It was a highly visible project, and it is now referred to internally as a great project. It delivered everything we expected on time and on budget, and conferred a lot of status within the organization.”