Kongsberg Digital and MAN enter into a strategic digitalization partnership

In order to accelerate the rate of digitalization in the maritime industry and secure greater value for customers on both sides, Kongsberg Digital and MAN are now formalizing the MoU from October 2019 and entering into a strategic digitalization partnership. Their first joint project is together with Höegh Autoliners.

Kongsberg Digital and leading engine manufacturer MAN are entering into a strategic digitalization partnership, formalizing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two companies in October 2019. The first project undertaken by the partnership will be to deliver joint digital infrastructure to Höegh Autoliners, marking the first step in their stated aim to work together in accelerating the rate of digitalization in the maritime industry and securing greater value for customers on both sides.

The agreement to collaborate in developing digitalization solutions for the maritime sector came about as the two companies realized that their separate efforts in this space were complementary. Kongsberg Digital’s recently launched Vessel Insight – a new, cost efficient data infrastructure solution for the maritime market – is a natural match with MAN’s PrimeServ Assist digital solution for optimization of engine use and maintenance.

Vessel Insight captures contextualized data from vessels and fleets for use in value generating applications for ship owners and operators, so by integrating the data from PrimeServ Assist will be able to provide a more holistic picture for the majority of vessels with MAN two-stroke engines on board. With two major maritime vendors collaborating on a common data infrastructure, customers will benefit from interfacing with one system instead of many, automated data integration, and a larger selection of digital solutions. This will make the digital transformation faster and more cost efficient for customers in the maritime sector.

Hege Skryseth, President of Kongsberg Digital, said:

"The engine is the most critical component onboard a vessel, and this strategic collaboration will ensure optimal operations and maintenance of the engine. This will generate significant value to our customers. We look forward to working together with MAN and our customers to ensure that they get the digital solutions that fit their capabilities and needs."

The maritime industry is in a transformational phase and is still learning new ways to extract additional value from digitalization, and with two major vendors now working together to further develop a powerful, safe and open infrastructure, this transformation will accelerate. For vendors of digital solutions and services, developing value adding applications and software for customers will be easier and more cost efficient, which in turn leads to a broader selection of available solutions. This will speed up the ability to digitalize and gives ship owners and operators a quicker return on their digital investment.

Per Hansson, Head of Digital and Strategy at MAN Energy Solutions, said:

"We are constantly searching for opportunities to bring the benefits from digital development to our customers faster and easier. Our advanced analytics and support services are areas where we can provide unique benefits to our customers’ businesses – further optimizing the operation, maintenance and availability of their vessels. Working together with renowned industry partners like Kongsberg gives us one more way to provide our services to our customers, and to jointly further digitization within the maritime sector."

The inaugural project with Höegh Autoliners is currently in a testing and validation phase, with a goal to enable real time engine monitoring and digital assistance for optimization, while reducing digital equipment onboard. Kongsberg Digital will provide its data infrastructure solution, Vessel Insight, for real time data transfer while MAN deploys PrimeServ Assist for engine data analysis.

Geir Frode Abelsen, Head of Technical Operations in Höegh Autoliners, said:

"For us in Hoegh Autoliners, this collaboration is an important step towards the utilisation of digital solutions in optimising the running and maintenance of our engines in a safe and effective way."