Stark Portal: port calls management and cost-estimating system
Stark Portal is a modern CRM system for managing vessel operations, created to automate the agency services for vessel calls and cargo transportation of Stark Shipping by sea and rivers through the ports of the Azov-Black Sea basin and the Danube.
For a long time the company’s activities were focused on maritime agency services, however, due to the blockade of the Black Sea and Azov Sea ports, the work vector shifted to river logistics. Under these conditions, the quality development of a CRM for a maritime agency allowed the company to quickly adapt its business processes to the new realities, maintaining high efficiency in managing vessel calls on river routes.
Client
Stark Shipping has more than 15 years of experience in transporting various cargoes. To maintain a high level of service across the entire branch network of the company, a reliable system for a shipping company was required, capable of uniting all aspects of operational activity.
The list of Stark Shipping’s services includes cargo processing, protection of shipowners' interests, and full agency services. The vessel agency management system we implemented allows every stage to be automated — from arrival and port servicing to freight collection. This ensures process transparency and stable service quality, regardless of the scale of the port or the complexity of the logistics task.
The Problem
The client approached us with a serious problem: the enormous volume of data made calculations extremely labor-intensive and inconvenient. To optimize these processes, professional CRM development for a shipping company was required, which would allow existing IT products to be integrated into a single ecosystem.
During the project, a functional CRM application for maritime logistics was created with a well-thought-out UX design. The new solution automated data management, freeing employees from routine calculations and providing quick access to the information needed for the operational management of vessel calls and voyage planning.
The Task
The Solar Digital team focused on a comprehensive solution: from UX/UI design to the full technical implementation of the platform. The key stage was the creation of a CRM application for the shipping company, which combined a PDA calculator and deep integration with the client’s internal accounting and statistics systems. Such large-scale CRM development for maritime transportation made it possible to automate Stark Portal from A to Z. Now the system not only accumulates data but also serves as a unified management center for complex logistics processes, ensuring seamless connection between the company’s operational activities and financial reporting.
The Process
The work of our team began with familiarizing ourselves with the specifics of the industry and the client’s goals. To understand every aspect in detail, we conducted an in‑depth business analysis of processes, working conditions, and data. Based on this analysis, a vessel call management system was designed, taking into account all reporting forms depending on the actual working time in the port.
After completing the analytical stage, we moved on to prototype visualization. Creating the CRM interface for the shipping company, Solar Digital’s designers developed special custom components and control elements. This made it possible to render the complex data interaction logic intuitively understandable, ensuring high user work speed within a unified digital environment.
Stark Portal
Thus, we developed Stark Portal — a multifunctional CRM application for automating vessel call agency services, which systematizes work with orders and cargo transportation. Our product helps automate all processes through:
- transparent order visibility;
- control and monitoring of processes (supply and servicing of vessel calls, barge rental with products and bunkering for fuel supply, timely operation of tugboats for loading and unloading products, timely availability of all tools and necessary materials);
- easy preparation of commercial proposals (PDA);
- convenient entry of all actual costs and operations;
- automated calculation of the final cost;
- quickly calculated and issued invoice to the client (FDA).
In addition, this online platform for managing vessel operations provides the ability to:
- easily manage all events;
- transparently view all stages and changes in services that form the cost of vessel calls and their agency services;
- ensure re-berthing and towage;
- maintain all documentation;
- communicate with the client;
- track the event register (start of operations, progress, execution stage) occurring with the vessel from the moment of approach to the port until its complete departure.
All of this is conveniently reflected in the system for further analytics and accurate calculation of the final cost of services.
Calculations
The platform provides the ability to easily calculate and determine the actual cost of a vessel’s port call. At the beginning, the agent enters the vessel parameters and cargo data into the PDA form. During the work process, the quality CRM development for port agency services allows new factors to be taken into account — queues or weather — which are automatically pulled from Stark Research. Integration with statistical data helps to better forecast towage and loading costs. When all variables are filled in, the special vessel call management application calculates the final cost (FDA) through a formula system. Thanks to synchronization with accounting software, the company can also easily maintain records, sign invoices and contracts in a unified digital environment.
The Final Result
During the work on the project, the Solar Digital team:
- conducted a detailed business analysis, on the basis of which a comprehensive CRM for maritime logistics and transportation was implemented;
- developed an intuitively clear interface in Figma and implemented it using Vue.js, creating a convenient admin panel for the shipping business;
- created a product on a Web platform using Laravel, ElasticSearch, MongoDB and PHP, hosted on DigitalOcean;
- integrated services such as Fleetmon and Google Maps, as well as a number of other corporate programs for automating data exchange.
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