Telko is a technology company that has provided navigation systems for the shipping industry for 30 years. During the last two years, the portfolio has also added a fully digital platform for data collection, data storage, and digitized logbooks on board vessels.
With their rapid growth and the upcoming launch of their new functionality TelScope, Telko needed a better logistics system – and it needs to be in place now.
“We’ve looked into several suppliers on the market, but the smaller software companies that have been assessed, we found too weak,” says President of Telko, Knut Vidar Lauritsen.
The choice fell on RamBase as a result of the modules the system offers to meet Telko’s new and existing needs.
Previous systems discontinued in favor of RamBase
Telko is currently in the planning phase together with RamBase. Knut Vidar says that everything in the platform that deals with finance, sales, purchasing, and product handling will be used as soon as possible but that the biggest advantages lie in the Production and Rental modules.
“The production module solves our need for kitting; To make the Bill of Materials (BOM), we have to put together a kit from different suppliers and sell it as one unit. The Rental module enables us to manage licenses, versions, and vessels and to separate them. Both of these are crucial for us,” says Knut Vidar.
He also points out Lifecycle Management (LCM) as an important function that guarantees full traceability between hardware and software, the total product, and thus full process control.
Although Telko already has an LCM system internally, they choose to invest in the totality of RamBase, in favour of further developing their own module.
“After calculating cost versus benefit, we see that RamBase replaces this one logistics module alone, concerning economy and quality. That means a huge gain the day we start,” says Knut Vidar.
A necessary shift for future growth
Because RamBase documents all the steps in sales and production processes, Telko’s quality systems will have a simpler structure, which according to Knut Vidar is worth the investment in itself.
“We see that this is also closely linked to quality, which for a company like Telko is extremely important; The ISO standards for product deliveries to Shipping are very comprehensive, and with RamBase, adaptation to the Quality Assurance (QA) module will significantly simplify our quality work.”
In addition, Knut Vidar is positive about the possibilities of being able to share APIs in the future and emphasizes that the distance to, for example, integrating TelScope into RamBase is much shorter than if Telko remained on a Microsoft platform.
As the implementation process begins soon, Knut Vidar is prepared for a comprehensive and demanding process but understands that it’s necessary for the company’s expected growth.
“A system as complex and large as RamBase requires a lot from us. In any case, implementing new systems is very extensive; we will have to learn a new terminology that will govern our everyday work – which can be demanding,” he says and concludes:
“So, we’re dreading it a little, but with the expertise and commitment we experience from RamBase, we feel confident in the process, and we have decided that we will succeed!”
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