Back to Case Studies
Moran Towing Corporation
Connecticut-based Moran Towing Corporation, which was founded almost 150 years ago, is a major corporate provider of maritime services. The company currently owns and operates 80 tugs and 30 barges with a focus on ship docking and harbor services; marine transportation of petroleum and dry bulk products; contract and specialty towing; and environmental services.
In 2006, Moran Towing’s Dry Bulk Division, which operates a fleet of 15 dry bulk barges, and its Petroleum Division, which operates 16 tank barges through Moran’s Seaboard Barge Corporation subsidiary, began reviewing software packages to replace their existing systems. Their goals were to create a consolidated approach to marine transportation activities by unifying chartering and operations and linking into the back office Microsoft Navision accounting software. The company conducted an extensive search, interviewing more than 30 vendors, and narrowed the field to six software providers.
Moran Moves Forward with IMOS
“We selected Veson because we were convinced that IMOS would greatly increase the productivity and efficiency of our transportation group,” explained Bruce Richards, vice president of marine operations for Moran Towing. “Generating reports, pulling data together from disparate spreadsheets, culling out redundant data, have always been cumbersome and time consuming. We really needed a solution that could integrate all our processes and turn reporting into a ‘one click’ operation. IMOS gave us that solution.”
The Benefits of IMOS for Barge Operations
Moran installed the full suite of IMOS modules – Chartering, Operations and Accounting. Using the Chartering Module Moran can produce Laytime Calculations much faster than before, because the port activity data transfers directly into the laytime statement. Moran has been able to eliminate spreadsheets and significantly reduce the amount of manual re-keying. IMOS Bunker Management helps Moran plan and track the use of fuels in environmentally restricted regions. The IMOS distances database includes an accurate geographic representation of low-sulfur regions, allowing Moran staff to project accurate cost estimates based on the consumption of low-sulfur and/or full-sulfur fuels.
Veson’s software was designed to address the specific requirements of barge companies, such as the need to make last minute changes on shorter voyages. Moran has benefited greatly from the Vessel Schedule, the front-end to the Operations module for accessing and updating vessel and voyage information. The module also produces invoices and reports and provides the ability to view and track voyages easily. Moran Towing staff can now conduct analysis on the tonnage moved per customer and determine which voyage to conduct next based on projected profitability.
Finally, Veson created a customized program within the Accounting Module that speeds internal accounting procedures for accounts receivables. IMOS also delivered more efficient invoice generating and record keeping processes with the introduction of the ReBills Module.
Brendan Collins, Manager of the Dry Bulk Division for Moran Towing explains, “The ReBills Module has been a huge benefit for our company. We incur port charges on time chartered voyages, and all the port charges are re-billed back to the customer. Now, the ReBills Module allows us to create all these invoices quickly. We have reduced lag time between accounts payable and receivables, which enables us to provide more efficient service to our customers—and us to be paid in a more timely fashion.”
Looking Ahead
IMOS was designed to keep pace with Moran’s growing business. For now, IMOS will continue to provide an efficient and collaborative environment for Moran Towing staff, to help increase profitability.
