News

Adelis Gómez joined the SAAM Towage corporate team as Deputy Engineering Manager in June this year. At her former position as Maintenance Manager in Mexico, she was familiar with the Tripanko project: “they are world-class systems in their respective areas…

Tripanko’s Helm team paid a visit to SAAM Towage Colombia to support the tool’s rollout in the country.

With the presence of our Division Manager, Hernán Gómez, we kicked off the first stage of the Helm Compliance project, which forms part of Tripanko. Its focus is on improving the management of quality in our processes.

To gain perspective on the perception of users about NSE, gather comments and identify opportunities for improvement, the company surveyed employees in Mexico, Panama, Uruguay, Peru, Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador.

The NSE team spent a week in Brazil 100% dedicated to process analysis and NSE integration at SAAM Towage Brazil. The work involved reviewing acquisitions and accounting processes for a better understanding of the current situation and a more efficient…

At SAAM we are working on the BPM+ corporate project, which aims to change and better structure the way we manage processes within our company, based on the definition of six dimensions:  flow and policy, risks, controls, system, KPI and…

Position and years with SAAM Towage: Quality Systems Analyst, 1 year 2 months. Education and profession: Industrial Engineer, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. Describe your role in the project: Team leader on Helm Compliance module implementation. What do you like to...

As Deputy Operations Manager at SAAM Towage, Cristián Martina gives top marks to the company’s implementation of Tripanko. “I think it’s very positive in general, and we’ve overcome each obstacle as we’ve encountered it along the way, while earning the…

“We’ve had great participation and good evaluations from this training process, which is still under development,” highlights Javiera Cifuentes, Project Coordinator at SAAM Towage Brazil.

Tugboat dispatchers and captains from SAAM Towage Colombia trained on the Helm platform. Participants in the two-session course received training material with step-by-step procedures for the day-to-day tasks they must perform.

Crews in Panama were instructed in the Moodle NSE course content as part of the Maintenance and Purchasing Module, according to each user’s position in the company and role in the platform. This training will translate into more efficient processes.

In April, the Tripanko Helm team visited Ecuador and Panama to learn first-hand how the implementation of this tool was proceeding in each country.

With an intuitive, user-friendly interface, an app that’s easy to download onto a mobile phone, and a cloud-based help desk, Freshservice has extended its operation across the Americas and is currently in use at SAAM Towage in Ecuador, Colombia, Uruguay,…

Through the NSE course, the SAAM Towage team in Peru learned about the new maintenance and purchasing management system, which is tailor-made for the areas involved in these processes.

Position and years with SAAM Towage:  Billing analyst, with the company for 7 years.

Position and years with SAAM Towage:  Contract administrator, 1 month with the company

In Colombia, Tripanko implementation is moving forward steadily in preparation to go live in the next few months. Joao Paulo Marins, SAAM Towage’s Country Manager in that country, comments on his teams’ experience with the project. “At first the personnel…

“Navigating through Helm Connect” is an introductory course on the operational platform. Through informational videos, users learn to browse the platform (accesses and help channels) and its main modules. In addition, they learn about project objectives, the processes that support…

SAAM Towage Ecuador workers commented on several aspects after completing the course, “Our Nautical Systems Enterprise Software,” including the easy-to-understand content and complete information based on profile and interactiveness, making it possible for users to immediately put into practice what…

Qlik Sense® is a business intelligence tool that consolidates the data available in NSE and turns it into KPIs. Currently, the Maintenance Department is carrying out a Qlik panel project in five areas that are fundamental to the business. Process…

Cristóbal has been an intern for the Tripanko project for almost 3 months and is currently in his fifth year of industrial engineering with a minor in business analytics at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez. His main role at Tripanko is measuring…

Camila is interning in the Supply Chain & Planning area, where she has been for two months. She is an industrial engineering student at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

Jorge began his professional internship with us in January this year. He is an industrial engineering student at Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, and at SAAM Towage he is working on the development of a Centralized Data Governance Model to manage the…

Sander Bikkers, President at SAAM Towage Canada, reflects on the implementation of the Tripanko Project in Canada, which has 23 tugs distributed throughout seven ports.

SAAM Towage Brazil is continuing its train-the-trainer program for the NSE (Nautical System Enterprise) software. Around 36 people participated in the two-week activity being conducted by the ABS team. A few additional individuals were unable to attend because they were…

Following several months of work, teams in Chile enthusiastically received the new software Helm and are already reaping its benefits just a few days after going live.

The different training instances attended by teams from SAAM Towage’s subsidiaries and central offices facilitated Helm’s Go Live in the country. “This was super important because it helped ward off fear and resistance to change. In fact, we are all…

SAAM Towage Ecuador is the first team to leverage the advantages of the course “Our Nautical Systems Enterprise Software.” Custom designed for SAAM Towage, the course will familiarize participants with all NSE features they need to do their jobs.

SAAM Towage Chile finished training its team to continue Tripanko implementation. Fifteen professionals and two representatives from corporate participated in the training to review the purchasing process and its associated documents.

Position and years with SAAM Towage: Maintenance Plan Analyst, SAAM Towage Division 7 months

Position and years with SAAM Towage: Head of Commercial Processes for the SAAM Towage Division, 7 months

Over the last two years, the SAAM Towage team has been working on the Tripanko project. Helm and NSE software implementation is critical to the initiative, which aims to transform the division’s operations, maintenance and purchasing processes.

Following training and customization of the software to the operation, Helm went live in Guatemala.

On December 6, NSE software went live in Canada with two tugs, Saba and Grizzly, and the creation of some processes for purchasing office services.

Helm software went live in El Salvador. Each user trained used the platform to monitor the planning for each tug. 

Two months after kicking off the Helm software project in Colombia, the team visited the Panamanian subsidiary to learn about challenges and outline roles before software implementation.

Juan Gustavo Ramírez, a Tripanko Key User at SAAM Towage, commented on the NSE (Nautical System Enterprise) progress.

SAAM Towage Colombia began the NSE (Nautical System Enterprise) software training process. Administrative personnel are learning to use the tool via virtual sessions, complementary manuals and instructional videos.

Following user training on the system, Costa Rica is preparing to go live with Helm and NSE software.

Position and years with SAAM: Head of Projects and Continuous Improvement, Finance Department 2 1/2 years with the company (six months as an intern and two years as an employee).

Renata Ervilha, country manager SAAM Towage Brasil: “The project will be a milestone”.

In Guatemala, Tripanko is in the stage of classifying and preparing for Helm training. Sergio Gómez, Commercial Coordinator of SAAM Towage Panama and who supported the Guatemala team with his experience, comments on next steps to be taken.

SAAM Towage Uruguay’s fleet has seven tugs, three pushers, three pontoons and 13 barges operated by approximately 140 crew members who provide support for all its operations.

A new Helm kick off took place on November 15th at SAAM Towage Peru with the six tugs currently operating in that country.

Helm training moves forward in Chile: 45 captains are receiving guidelines for the software go live and operation.

Training on the NSE platform continues at SAAM Towage El Salvador, where they have completed several stages and are moving forward with the process.

The NSE software (Nautical System Enterprise) went live on November 3rd with 24 tugs, branch offices and headquarters in Mexico.

Position and years with SAAM Towage: Operations Manager for SAAM Towage Peru. I have been with the company for 6 months.

Position and years with SAAM Towage: Maintenance Planning Analyst, with the company for 10 years and 8 months.

Position and years with SAAM Towage:  Key User, with the company for 25 days.

Harry Marcus Nadle, Country Manager at SAAM Towage Guatemala: “Being Part of a World-Class Project is a Great Opportunity”.

Another Helm kick off took place on October 8th, this time at SAAM Towage Canada. The event included a presentation on the project timeline, system requirements, benchmarks, risks and their mitigation, and the commitments the team will need to make. …

The objective of the activity in Topolobampo on October 14th-16th was to train captains to use Helm.

Helm training is going full speed ahead in Brazil, according to Senior Operations Specialist Javiera Cifuentes. “Training is divided into two stages: Traffic Operators and Captains. Contents include a general overview of the platform, details on the Jobs and On…

NSE (Nautical System Enterprise) software will undoubtedly bring multiple benefits for SAAM Towage teams.  That is why more employees are getting to know the platform and its functionalities every day. They are learning to operate the new technology, primarily used…

The drydock module on the NSE (Nautical Systems Enterprise) platform makes it possible to manage one of the most critical activities in the tug life cycle: major maintenance management (drydocking).

In Colombia and Honduras, the Helm implementation project was launched on October 4th.

Position and years with SAAM Towage: I’ve been at the company for six years. My current position is Commercial Project Coordinator.

Position and years with SAAM Towage: I came to SAAM two years ago as an intern in the maintenance area. Today, I am a Maintenance Systems Supervisor (Key User).

Juan Alfredo Illingworth: “We are sailing in the right direction”.

At SAAM Towage Mexico, the fleet totals 23 tugs operated by 100 crew members and supported by approximately 40 people who perform administrative services. The team is nearing the completion of the NSE implementation process.

By implementing Helm, SAAM Towage aims to be more efficient and provide better service to our customers.  In Costa Rica, a special customer portal is under development to enable online service requests and the corresponding proforma invoices. Customers will also…

Chile continues making progress on Helm, this time by planning and preparing training. The process will teach correct software use and answer questions to prepare for system launch and operation.

A new way of doing things always teaches lessons. SAAM Towage Mexico, which is in the lead in terms of Helm implementation, held a special session to share the lessons it has learned along the way.

Reynaldo Ariza, from the SAAM Towage Colombia team, gets us up to speed on that country’s progress with NSE. As a key user for the Maintenance Department, he has followed the implementation process closely.

Position and years with SAAM Towage: Maintenance Superintendent at SAAM Towage Chile, 3 years at SAAM

Position and years with SAAM Towage: New Project Engineer, three months.

Cristián Cifuentes, Country Manager for SAAM Towage Chile and Peru: “Tripanko prepares SAAM Towage to continue growing”

On Tuesday, August 10th, the entire SAAM Towage Ecuador team met virtually for the official Helm kick-off, which unveiled the activity plan for the next few months. The plan involves gathering information, configuring the platform, testing, training and full implementation.

In August, we offered another training on the Helm tool, this time for SAAM Towage Panama. Personnel participated in sessions led by Sergio Gómez, SAAM Towage Panama’s Commercial Coordinator and an Internal Key User for Helm Panamá.

NSE training for the teams in Ecuador, Canada and El Salvador took place in August. At the sessions, the maintenance, operations, accounting, administration, systems and talent teams became well acquainted with this new maintenance and purchasing management software. Topics covered…

In Guatemala, the Tripanko project is currently at the phase of validating machinery and team hierarchies and fleet maintenance plans. Country Manager Harry Nadle emphasized that the teams have embraced the process with “great motivation and enthusiasm.”

The new NSE manuals are already available on our Tripanko website, both for maintenance and purchasing.

Data are the foundation for properly using Nautical Systems. Given their importance, the process of uploading technical data on tugs is already underway in Chile and Brazil.

Position and years with SAAM Towage: Deputy Administration Manager at SAAM Towage Chile, with 22 years at SAAM.

Position and years with SAAM Towage: Human Resources Analyst. I’ve been with SAAM Towage for about a month and a half.

“Tripanko gives us a single, interconnected system that is useful for working proactively and making our processes more efficient.”

The Helm project team, the SAAM Towage Guatemala Country Manager and the corporate team began working on software implementation in Guatemala on July 13.

In July, we continued making progress on the use of Helm. Our on-board personnel in Mexico took part in training sessions given by Héctor López, a Helm Internal Key User in Mexico.

In July, NSE training was offered in Guatemala. Attendees learned how to use the software, a system that manages tug maintenance and acquisitions as well as office purchasing and procurement.

The process of migrating to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP-SAP) continues. Uruguay and Guatemala have already started down this path to standardized processes, optimized costs and centralized system maintenance.

The corporate Tripanko project team met with local teams in Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador in July to go over the main project milestones and stages. They coordinated the steps to follow, the resources and time required to meet project deadlines.

Position and years with SAAM Towage: I have been working at the company as a New Projects Engineer for Operations and Corporate for two weeks.

Position and years with SAAM Towage: I have been working here as New Supply Chain Projects Engineer – Tripanko for almost four months.

“Tripanko has had an impact in all areas of maintenance. In the short term it has helped in the organization of our processes, since many of them were not completely defined”

Training involves preparing someone for something. It becomes even more important when implementing new projects that change how we do things, like in the case of Tripanko. That is why we continue to train to use Helm, either through in-person…

On Thursday, June 24th, our teams in Costa Rica and El Salvador got together—virtually—with its stakeholders to kick off Helm in those countries.

As the term indicates, “Go Live” refers to the moment at which a technology project is officially implemented and starts being used.

Freshservice is the IT help desk platform that centralizes your requests related to Tripanko software (NSE and Helm).

NS Insight is the new NSE module that will replace that software’s former Indicators module.

Carolina Brailow is an NSE Key User at SAAM Towage Mexico. Her responsibilities include training crews and administrative personnel to use the software, as well as participating in other areas of the project such as configuring the system, reviewing theoretical…

Position and years with SAAM Towage: Planning engineer in the corporate area. I’ve been with the Company for 1 year and 3 months.

Position and years with SAAM Towage: I’ve been with the Company for 3 and a half years. For the past year I have been Head of Finance at SAAM Towage Costa Rica.

“Tripanko’s role is fundamental because, until this point, we have not had a centralized system that consolidates Supply Chain operations between the countries in the network.”

Training plays a fundamental role when implementing the Tripanko project. That is why the development of materials for each training has been a long and detailed task, considering all the adaptations that must be made according to the operation of…

We have designed a series of KPIs, or indicators, to measure end-user performance in the Maintenance and Purchasing processes. They aim to detect when the processes are not being conducted properly and identify opportunities for improvement.

Administrative personnel in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico and Panama completed the dry-dock training module.

New operations in El Salvador and Peru have joined our teams throughout the Americas as we reaffirm our commitment to Central America, the Caribbean and the southern Pacific coast.

Position and years with SAAM Towage: I worked at SAAM Towage Brazil in the Technical Department for almost seven years and I have been working as a Maintenance Planner at SAAM Towage Canada for one year.

Position and years with SAAM Towage: Port Engineer at SAAM Towage Chile. I have been with the company for six years.

“I am convinced that for SAAM Towage and for all of its associates there will be a before and an after Tripanko”

In information technology, an interface is the name of the functional connection between two systems, software programs, devices or components of any kind that provides communication between various levels, allowing for data interchange. This interchange occurs automatically, enabling users of different…

We are configuring the new Drydocking Model that we will have in NSE. The objective is to facilitate drydock management within the life cycle of a tug, addressing four key stages: planning, hiring, execution and closing. To that end, the tool…

One of the foundations of the Tripanko project is correctly collecting and uploading technical information into the NSE system. This involves collecting and sending as much data as possible on a tug to ABS. Such data includes maintenance and spare…

Position and years with SAAM Towage: Deputy Supply Chain & Planning Manager, Corporate Area. I have been with the company for 1 year.

Position and years with SAAM Towage: I am a Senior Operations Specialist in Brazil and have been in this position for four months. Before, I worked as a Project Engineer in SAAM’s Development Area, evaluating investments. I did that for…

“At SAAM Towage Mexico we are looking to strengthen our market leadership and the Tripanko project brings us closer to that goal”

A few months ago, Ricardo Pérez, Key User at SAAM Towage Panamá, participated in an NSE training session given by ABS, the supplier of the software.

As you know, we recently began a new      phase: Intertug is now SAAM Towage. As a result, Intertug’s towage operations in Colombia, Mexico and Central America will gradually change to one single image and name.

The corporate Tripanko project team and ABS, the supplier of NSE, met online to celebrate the major milestones achieved while implementing the software in Panama.

Helm was launched in Chile with a virtual kick off. A few days later Brazil followed with its own online kick off.

Position and years with SAAM: Key User for Maintenance at SAAM Towage Panama. I have been with the company for 10 years.

Position and years with SAAM Towage: Nautical Systems Key User at SAAM Towage Mexico for almost three years.

“This new way of doing things will teach us lessons and will definitely give us new opportunities to be better”

Implementing standard maintenance policies that are centralized at a corporate level will ensure operational continuity and asset availability.

Go Live refers to the moment at which a technology project is officially implemented and begins operating. For all projects being executed, the objective is to go live successfully.

In late January we held a session on Lessons Learned in order to share experiences and insights from the first Helm implementation processes with the rest of the countries.

Position and years with SAAM Towage: I have been the Corporate Commercial Supervisor for SAAM Towage since mid-2020. I joined SAAM in 2016, in the Logistics Division—a great place to start—and have been lucky enough to work for all three…

Position and years with SAAM Towage: Project Manager – Tripanko Mexico. I have been with SAAM Towage Mexico for thirteen months. Although I began in Management Control, I am now fully dedicated to Tripanko project implementation.

Digital tools have revolutionized the way we do things. With the digital transformation, online tools and mobile applications have replaced many functions that were once conducted on paper.

57 employees – including captains and machine supervisor – participated in training provided by ABS, NSE supplier.

Freshservice is the new IT help desk that centralizes your requests related to Tripanko software (NSE and Helm).

Qlik Sense is a world-class business intelligence platform that provides valuable data that enables users to make decisions based on quality information. It also allows users to create personalized reports and explore large amounts of data to support faster, more…

“We are making very significant progress toward the organization that we want: an agile, robust SAAM Towage that can continue growing”

Position and years with SAAM Towage: Commercial Coordinator and I have been working at SAAM Towage Panama for two years.

Position and years with SAAM Towage: I started working at SAAM seven years ago. I began as an intern, and I have been the Head of Projects for Human Resources at SAAM Towage for six months now.

Position and years with SAAM Towage: Project Manager – Tripanko NSE. I have been here for a grand total of (drum roll, please)… 12 days! Haha! I formally started on January 1 of this year, but I have been with…

Tripanko Helm Rollouts Plan

Cristóbal Kulczewski, Deputy Operations Manager for SAAM Towage, is in charge of supervising progress in implementing Helm,

Freshservice is the IT help desk tool that will centralize requests related to user accounts, hardware and software implemented, including Tripanko (NSE and Helm).

Panama has operated with Helm Connect since 2017. However, the software needed to be migrated to a new server with better features to meet the corporate standard for the Tripanko project.

The second week of December was the date chosen to kick off Helm in Mexico.

This enterprise architecture system and modeling platform brings together the following topics into one place: Processes, People, Systems, Documents and Risks.

We continue moving forward on the implementation of our Tripanko project, which includes Nautical Systems (NSE), one of the specialized, maritime industry software programs that is being implemented throughout the entire SAAM Towage fleet.

On December 17th, we officially launched the Welcome, Introduction and Maintenance module. Over the next few weeks, we will release the next units on Purchasing, Reporting, KPI’s and Dry Docking.

Data population is the process of compiling and sending a large number of tug equipment manuals to ABS, the supplier of NSE, and then uploading that information into the system. This process is vitally important to obtain a quality database…

Position and years with SAAM Towage: New project engineer at SAAM with the company for 6 months.

Position and years with SAAM Towage: Project Manager. In January I will have been with the company for a year.

Q&A

As Managing Director of SAAM Towage, Hernán Gómez faces a variety of challenges every day: SAAM Towage.

Nautical Systems (NS) is one of the specialized software programs being implemented throughout the SAAM Towage fleet. As part of the Tripanko project, HS primarily manages vessel maintenance and purchasing processes.

At a virtual kick-off event attended by over 70 employees, participants learned about the scopes, objectives, vision and status of the Tripanko project to implement two very important software programs at SAAM Towage– Nautical Systems and Helm.

Helm supports dispatch and invoicing processes. Like NS, this software is globally recognized in the maritime industry and will help us more efficiently manage our entire fleet.

“Train the Trainers” sessions for the NS platform took place from October 13th to November 9th. These courses were directed towards key users from all operations and representatives from Maintenance and Purchasing.

Position and years with SAAM Towage: New Project Engineer for Tripanko. I started in March 2020.

Position and years with SAAM: 4 years, currently Head of Projects for Operations at Saam Towage.

Q&A