Asia Market Success for Wilhelmsen Ships Service’s SARD Offer

Wilhelmsen Ships Services’ Ships Agency Redefined offer (SARD) is currently growing rapidly at a rate of one new contract every day, with over a third of business now in Asia.

The SARD concept was introduced by Wilhelmsen Ships Service last year and is a unique ‘one point of contact’ global system for the efficient provision of ships services. The company is now operating 150 SARD contracts around the world, of which one third are based in Asia.

Mr Fontarosa explains: “Customers are taking advantage of the SARD scheme and benefitting from its’ unique efficiencies as a result of a globally-coordinated approach which streamlines and simplifies the way multiple port calls are managed by Wilhelmsen Ships Service.”

“Having one point of contact worldwide means improved communication, with each team working in the same time zone and speaking the same language as its customers, wherever the worldwide port call may be. In addition, predictable pricing and a single bank account for all payments mean easy access to online job and tracking information.”

Wilhelmsen Ships Services, recently named ‘Shipping Company of the Year’ at the annual ShipTek Maritime Awards in Dubai has been quick to respond to the steady signs of economic growth that the company is witnessing in India and with recent investments, the company now has 15 offices manned by over 90 professionals in the country.

Mr Fontarosa said: “Indian customers are responding to the SARD program as they increasingly take on global trade patterns so an ability to offer standardised solutions that they are familiar in local settings gives them a sense of comfort in unfamiliar conditions.”

“Furthermore, the Indian coastline extends for about 7500 km, which is a large area to service. A rapidly growing economy and an ever-increasing appetite for energy resources provide a strong demand from customers in the ship services sector.”

Wilhelmsen Ships Service manages customer requirements in India and throughout Asia through its customer service teams located in key locations including Mumbai. At the recent Coaltrans India event, the SARD offer, along with the company’s other innovative service, Ships Spares Logistics (SSL), attracted significant interest.

Wilhelmsen Ships Service’s Asia Pacific Sales Director, Sean Neilan said: “Many customers are telling us that in today’s quickly changing global market, they now have a real need to improve their operational efficiency.”

“We have always been confident that the SARD scheme would deliver on these requirements and the number of customers signing up confirms that this is the case. We are continuing to invest heavily on resource and expertise in Asia to meet the increasing demands of this increasingly important region.”

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Source: Wilhelmsen, June 6, 2011.