P&O Ferries Rolls Out Digital Asset Management with Freeway & Genie Insights

P&O European Ferries Irish Sea operation has transformed the management of its vehicles and other assets with a fully digital asset management system. Supplied by Freeway Fleet Systems and implemented by Genie Insights, Drivers and workshop fitters have been equipped with mobile devices that synchronise in real time with a central asset management system.     

P&O European Ferries (Irish Sea) Limited is part of multinational logistics company DP World and the Freeway system has been rolled out across three port locations; Cairnyan, Dublin and Larne. Providing a repository for all P&O Ferries assets with software to manage equipment inspections, workshop scheduling, defects and parts ordering, Freeway is part of a major investment in technology to improve operational safety, efficiency and service.

P&O continually upgrades its IT and is switching to fully digital working and Freeway eliminates paperwork relating to the maintenance of vehicles, plant and equipment. The system provides a high level of visibility giving managers instant access to records on the status of every asset.

Freeway manages a diverse range of assets including RoRo Tractors, baggage trollies, fork lifts, port buses, garage equipment and an array of ancillary equipment. The software schedules regular maintenance work and defect rectifications, improving the management of safety and compliance. The system was implemented by Genie Insights, Freeway’s appointed partner in the island of Ireland.

The tablets, which synchronise in real time with the central Freeway system, are used for digital inspection sheets and job cards.  Fitters can also see instantly the history of previous maintenance work and use the device to issue parts from stores.  Housed in cradles in the RoRo tractor cabs, the tablets are also used for port mapping, GPS tracking, hazard reporting and load handling systems.

Across the operation P&O undertake around 110 asset inspections a day. With all these reports together with job cards and compliance reports, P&O were inundated with paper. Handling all this paperwork took a day a week but with Freeway the task is completed in half the time and for the workshop manager that represents a 50 percent gain in productivity.

According to P&O Freeway is proving very easy to use and inspections are much faster. As time goes on intelligence is being built up within the system on the performance of parts and resources.  That, coupled with the real time visibility provided by Freeway, will help drive improvements across the board in terms of productivity, service and safety.