24 June 2002
Ulysses Systems and ShipServ Software Form Strategic Alliance
ShipServ and Ulysses Systems, Inc. have signed an agreement to formally integrate and jointly market their maritime software packages. The alliance will provide customers with an integrated software package that takes advantage of Ulysses Systems’ advanced knowledge management and organizational features and ShipServ’s Ship Supply Management software that simplifies the procurement process via electronic trading.
Ulysses Systems offers a suite of applications including Planned Maintenance, Purchasing, Crewing, and Quality & Safety, based upon the company’s innovative Task Assistant™ software. Customers find that applications built on this unique platform are much more likely to be used by shipboard staff. This is because Ulysses Systems’ applications require very little training to use, and are designed to work within the existing framework of an organization. In contrast to software packages that force customers to modify operations around the capabilities of software, Task Assistant™ is designed to understand existing roles and the tasks within the organization and to use that understanding to provide end-users with exactly the information they want at exactly the time they need it.
This integration will enable Ulysses’ clients to send the Requests for Quote or orders across ShipServ TradeNet and receive back quotes and order confirmations all within Task Assistant™. From the user’s perspective the changes only require a matter of minutes to learn and ShipServ only needs a few days to connect a Ulysses client to ShipServ TradeNet. The integration reduces the need for rekeying and improves the information available for analysis. In addition all transaction documents are available on line in Task Assistant™ without any more need for paper files.
“Shipping companies on TradeNet have seen substantial benefits,” says Kim Skaarup, Chief Operating Officer of ShipServ. “Staff no longer waster their valuable time on faxing and rekeying. They buy for more ships, creating more better priced long-term deals and improve logistics. We are pleased to be able to bring these benefits to Ulysses customers and to enable them to link to the largest trading network of suppliers.”
“From our perspective, the integration of ShipServ and Task Assistant made perfect sense,” said Bob Schumaker, director of Global Alliances for Ulysses Systems. “Our entire focus is about providing ship management solutions that improve the performance and efficiency of a vessel’s crew and assets. Our integration with ShipServ’s MTML Link will extend the benefits of our purchasing application to extend our existing electronic trading support and functionality.”
About Ulysses Systems
With headquarters in Livonia, Mich., Ulysses Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of computer products and services that offer business intelligence solutions to a variety of industries. With about 100 employees worldwide, the company also maintains offices in Europe, South America and the Far East. For more information, visit http://www.ulysses-systems.com.