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ABS-NS User Community Meets in San Francisco The annual meeting of the ABS Nautical Systems (ABS-NS) Users Group, held recently in San Francisco, brought together a record 180 delegates from a dozen countries, representing the IT and Operations departments of 53 NS clients. The meeting provided three days of intense face to face discussions between users of the NS software and the NS product developers. The meeting also gave users the opportunity to share their system experiences with each other.
Sardis also highlighted the importance of talking with other users. “It is fascinating how you hear things about the product that you never thought of, even longtime users like us at Costamare,” he says. “Sometimes, you find that many other people share the same issues or ideas about the product as you do. We really get a lot of work done at these conferences, which is why they are so successful year after year.” This year’s NS User Conference introduced a new format designed to encourage a greater level of interaction than in previous years. “We are always looking at ways to make the event as productive as possible,” said ABS-NS President and COO Jack Kitchura. Morning segments of the three-day event consisted of user and developer presentations followed by a question-and-answer period. Each afternoon was divided into two round-table discussion sessions, in which users and developers gathered in small working groups to focus on particular applications and particular modules. A fourth day was made available to clients for training sessions. The atmosphere of open discussion was favorably received by those attending. Donald Galbraith, Ship Manager with Beltship Management of Monaco, for whom this was the fourth user conference commented that “The one thing I noticed was that people came here to work together, to help get problems solved and to make the product a better, more useful tool. It was surprising to find sometimes many other people have the same issues as you. Best thing of all, though, is that it is all users working together and working with developers – no sales people.” For Kitchura, the round table sessions emphasize the ABS-NS tag line of ‘client-centered solutions.’ “Our previous conferences tended towards heavy, four-hour technical discussions attended mostly by the IT departments. Looking over the round tables this year, I saw a majority of operations staff,” he said. “To me, this says that Operations are really taking an interest in the product and want a role in developing the functions they need.” Dashboards, KPIs and TMSA - Focusing on future enhancements Presentations by NS developers to the annual Users’ Conference focused on the new capabilities and functionality of NS-5, particularly it’s Maintenance, Purchasing and Crewing modules, and included a discussion of the new Dry Docking module and NS-5 Reliability-Centered Maintenance tracking capabilities. But it was the discussions with the users that clarified those areas of greatest interest for future development. Gerry Nielsen, ABS-NS Director of Operations, says this is perhaps the most important aspect of the annual get togethers. “If we were to develop the product unilaterally, we would at best be taking a shot in the dark as to clients’ actual needs,” he says. “The round tables encourage the clients to bring out their ideas for discussion. During the sessions the most important or the most commonly shared always bubble to the top. At the first round table, for example, Nielsen notes that the ABS-NS staff put forward six topics that were being considered for future development. “Of the six, two were immediately discarded by the users,” Nielsen says. “We quickly found that dashboards, KPIs and TMSA-related functions were important focal points for the coming year for our users.” Managing your fleet – a shipowner’s perspective Gerry Carter, president of Canada Steamship Lines, delivered the keynote address to this year’s ABS-NS Users’ Conference, giving the 180 attendees a first hand account of how an effective fleet management system can improve a shipowner’s operations.
“From the user point of view, the success of a software system is directly linked to the longevity and stability of the supplier. This product has been evolving for over 20 years, and the affiliation of Nautical Systems and ABS guarantees that the product will not disappear. Anyone who has been through a long, drawn-out software implementation, only to find that after a few years the software company has gone out of business, knows how important that is. CSL has been a customer of NTC and now ABS-NS for the past 15 years. The recent installation of the latest edition, NS-5, indicates we will still be a customer for the next 15. “One of the two biggest decisions in the success of the company, and in my career with CSL, was outsourcing ship management, which allowed us to focus on building the business. The other was teaming up with NTC, which became ABS-NS, to bring their software forward. ABS-NS software is a significant component of our business. I look at it as one of the key factors in our being able to grow.” Carter urged the attendees to actively participate in the future development of the NS system. “My message for you today is keep coming to these user meetings; keep interfacing with your supplier; and, more importantly, exchange as many business cards as you can with the people in this room. The relationships you build at these conferences are keys to success.” Also speaking at the conference were John Hathaway, Director of Information Technology at Interlake Steamship; Rhonda Lockhart, Managing Buyer, Purchasing, at Matson Navigation; Antony Liappis, Fleet staffing Manager at OSG Shipmanagement; and Amy Spencer, HSE Coordinator at ConocoPhillips. ABS Nautical Systems - First Annual Tennis Tournament 2006 ( Vina del Mar - Chile) ABS Nautical Systems sponsored its first Tennis Tournament in the Estadio Español ( Viña del Mar - Chile). The tournament was well received by an enthusiastic group of players representing shipping companies, and Class Societies. After the initial rounds carried out during the month of November, the finals of the three categories (A, B and C) were held on Sunday, November 26th. The finalists (champions and 2nd. place) by category were the following:
Once finished the three finals, all participants attended an award ceremony and cocktail party. After the success of the tournament and the enthusiasm of the participants, ABS Nautical Systems expects to repeat this experience the year 2007. NS Completed another Successful Year 2006 ends as another landmark year for Nautical Systems. In two years, the acquisition of new clients has grown by 400% over the average sales obtained in previous years. President Jack Kitchura states “The investment to rebuild the SafeNet product in new technology is paying off. It is clear that the marketplace recognizes that NS stands alone in its ability to provide a modern technological platform, over 20 years of maritime software experience, and the stability provided through the backing of ABS”. With the new office in London and additional staff in Hamburg as well as the Corporate Office in Houston, 2007 shows no signs of slowing down. Continued Expansion – NS Welcomes New Staff Success on the sales floor demands growth in the Support and Operations teams. NS has kept pace with its growth, and continues to add new personnel. We extend our welcome to the newest members of the NS team. 
Tom Kreissl, Sales Manager - Northern Europe Kreissl joined Nautical Systems in December of 2006. He brings in more than 16 years of sales experience in IT industry. Prior to joining Nautical Systems, Kreissl worked as Sales and Program Manager for complex hardware and software computer systems for a large German manufacturer and system house. Kreissl graduated from the University of the German Armed Forces and retired as a Captain of the German Air Force after twelve years of service. He lives twenty miles south of Hamburg, Germany with his wife and two sons. 
Nadia Marwitz, Product Consultant, Specialist - Northern Europe Nadia Marwitz joins ABS NS in January 2007 as a Product Consultant - Specialist. Prior to joining ABS Nautical Systems she was responsible for the global support and client training at the AVECS Corporation AG. With nearly 2 years in the German maritime business, she brings to Nautical Systems a wide experience of installation and software management in ship management and offshore companies. She is certified as an IT-specialist by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce. She possesses extensive and versatile specialized knowledge of software design and development, database structures, operating systems and applications. Nadia is attending training in Hamburg, London and Houston for the first 8 weeks of 2007. She will be based in our Hamburg office and begin working directly with our EMEA client's sometime in March of 2006. 
Carol Gunderson, Manager, Software Development, Houston Carol Gunderson has recently joined the Product Development department in Houston as Manager, Software Development. She fills the position vacated by Royce Engler, who has transferred to the Operations department. Carol holds a Ph. D. in Computer Science from Tulane University, and has taught computer-programming classes at the university level for a number of years. More recently, she has held a series of project-management positions in the IT and software fields. 
Kristofer Maanum, Product Consultant, Houston Kristofer Maanum joined ABS Nautical Systems in September 2006 as a Product Consultant in the Houston office. After graduating with an Engineering degree from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, Kristofer sailed as a licensed engineer, obtained his 2nd Engineers License, and worked for ABS performing system design reviews prior to joining Nautical Systems. Being proficient with computer applications, and conversant in several languages, Kristofer has already been assigned to several clients and projects and is a welcome addition to the staff. 
Justin Van Tries, Product Consultant, Houston Another recent hire and welcome addition to our growing staff, Justin Van Tries joined ABS Nautical Systems as a Product Consultant in November. Justin is also assigned to the Houston office where he will put his background as a Marine Engineer to use in the Operations Group. Prior to joining Nautical Systems Justin sailed for several companies as Third and Second engineer. His degree is in Marine Engineering & Shipyard Management from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, and he has practical shipyard experience and an advanced Marine Engineers license. Both Justin and Kristofer, along with other new employees, will be attending the first Nautical Systems new hire training course being held in Houston in January 2007. Visit Nautical Systems at the upcoming events!
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“One of the best things about these conferences is the open atmosphere of discussion and the fact that you get to speak directly with the product developers,” says Themistoklis Sardis, IT Manager with Costamare of Greece. A SafeNet product user since 1997, Sardis has attended most user conferences since 1999. “We speak our minds, they speak their minds, and together we improve the product.” 
“Fifteen years ago, CSL was looking for software to handle purchasing, inventories, spare parts and maintenance,” Carter said. “We found Nautical Technology Corp (NTC) [now ABS-NS], a young company with a good basic package that they wanted to grow. They were looking for a client willing to help develop it and we were looking to modernize our ships. The ability to deal directly with the developer was the key to success.
Contact
your regional ABS Nautical Systems Representative
for additional details.
| North America | South America | London/ Northern Europe |
|
| Representative | Joe Woods | Alvaro Pozo | Bob Kessler |
| Telephone | 281-877-5714 | 56-32-21-79-68 | 44 (0) 20 7377 4424 |
| jwoods@abs-ns.com | apozo@abs-ns.com | rkessler@abs-ns.com | |
| Hamburg/ Northern Europe |
S. Europe/ Middle East |
Far East | |
| Representative | Tom Kreissl | Evangelos Valsamis | Ooi Ka-Lok |
| Telephone | (49) 40 37 85 8726 | +30-210-4294046 | + 603 22722732 |
| tkreissl@abs-ns.com | evalsamis@abs-ns.com | kooi@abs-ns.com |
Nautical Systems E-News is produced by the Nautical Systems team on a quarterly basis for clients interested in learning more about NS and its products. You may reproduce any article in a printed format or redistribute on a mass basis subject to the following conditions: (1) text must be copied without modification and (2) all copies of text must contain this story credit: "Courtesy of ABS Nautical Systems." To subscribe or unsubscribe to NS E-News, or for more information about ABS Nautical Systems, please contact Jennifer Bewley at 1-281-877-5712 or jbewley@abs-ns.com. Copyright © 2006 by ABS Nautical Systems LLC
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