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nd SEMESTER $2023$

FINAL ASSESSMENT ADDITIONAL MATERIAL

BM$202$B

Collaboration

Shipping company Maersk needed a new forecasting system. Safmarine Computer Services,

which later merged with IBM, undertook the project.

All about forecasting

$-$ Project complexities related to logistics: Different commitments, multiple time zones,

different cultures, various harbour sizes, different schedules of various cargos.

$-$ The shipping and container loading processes were being done manually on Excel

spreadsheets, which was time$-$consuming, and information could not be easily updated.

$-$ The project goal was to provide an electronic system to forecast and plan Maersks

shipping schedules and cargo loading.

Factors impacting on the development of the new forecasting system

$-$ International port laws, time zones, currencies and algorithms required to create system

intelligence to enable logistics managers to accurately forecast, plan and schedule.

Lessons learnt

$-$ The project achieved its objective in two years reducing time spent on forecasting and

improving accuracy.

$-$ A centralised system was set up that could be accessed from different countries and ports.

$-$ There were cultural challenges between international stakeholders in Cape Town,

Copenhagen and London.

$-$ These challenges and different cultural styles of communication were overcome by the

project manager placing an emphasis on regular, face$-$to$-$face and multi$-$cultural

management skills.

$-$ Non$-$verbal communication styles and cultural preferences were acknowledged and

comprise was reached about how communication would occur.

$-$ When project managers apply emotional intelligence in understanding different

stakeholders,

discuss $5$ feasons that lead to the organization like maersk designing andn implementing diversity and developement programmes