How to Digitalize the Canadian and US seafood industry

Interdisciplinary innovation project

The solution is the result of the innovation project «Digitization of Norwegian seafood transport», where Maritech since 2017 has collaborated with Cermaq, Coast Seafood, Schenker and then Timpex, who were acquired by Maritech in 2019. The project has aimed to create a simpler and more efficient seafood logistics process by connecting exporters with carriers for digital interaction and document flow. The goal is improved data quality, cost control and transport utilization, as well as simplified planning, coordination and management of the processes at all parties. For now, the solution is launched for the Norwegian market. An international launch will be announced at a later stage.

Seafood logistics is an extreme sport

Every minute, an average of 25,000 seafood meals are sent out of Norway, 36 million per day. The logistics of this are very complex and require a high degree of precision, competence and flexibility – both in connection with the transport itself and in the planning phase. A number of uncertain factors also trigger several changes along the way.

– Seafood logistics is an extreme sport, says project manager at Maritech, Ajdin Rizvo. – We are very impressed with those who make this flow well every single day, keep a cool head and get Norwegian seafood out into the world. An example is that booking of shipping must take place several days in advance, which means that everything must take place on forecasts. At this point, it is not known for sure what the catch will be, which buyers will have what and where they are. There is also no guarantee that the trucks will reach Gardermoen airport on time, they may get stuck on a mountain pass or lose a ferry and arrive late. The uncertainty places very high demands on all links in the supply chain. Furthermore, the processes today are characterized by costly and time-consuming manual routines, which also provide vulnerabilities related to errors and personal dependence.

Improved working day, profitability and sustainability

The new solution supports, among other things, document flow and communication, invoice processing, price management and processing of customs documents. All changes are visible and traceable, which ensures correct data, simple documentation and reduction in waiting time throughout the entire value chain. Documents related to the shipment are made available to the carrier as soon as they are created, and the terminal has a full overview of incoming and outgoing goods and shipments. This makes it possible to handle sudden changes more efficiently, and you achieve improved predictability.

Bjørnar Kvalsnes, product manager at Maritech, says it is a milestone for the company to finally be able to offer a solution that handles seafood logistics. – This has long been on the wish list, and it has been both educational and demanding to work with digitization of these processes. The collaboration with the project partners has been close and important, the support from Innovation Norway has also been crucial. The result is a tool that will both assist people, reduce risk and increase profitability. Together, we have found a “best practice” that will benefit all parties, and also provide an important sustainability gain in the form of improved capacity utilization for trucks, aircraft and ships. In this way, we can also contribute to giving our customers a greener operation, he concludes.

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