ComOps and Portside Solutions Sign Strategic Partnership Agreement to Target International Ports

ComOps, a leading Australasian provider of workforce management solutions has announced an international reseller agreement with specialist employee relations consultancy – Portside Solutions Pty. Ltd. The agreement will see the global consultancy engage in both selling and implementing the ComOps workforce optimisation solution – Microster, into container ports across Europe, the Middle East and the Americas.

Since being established in 2007, Portside Solutions has provided consulting services to many global organisations including DP World, Tasports, Capital Stevedores, APMT (Singapore), OMSA, TfNSW and QUBE Logistics, Australia’s largest bulk and general provider. The consultancy is owned by seasoned stevedore executive Ray Lee, former Director of Operations for DP World in Australia.

With decades of experience from the ground up, the qualified team of professionals at Portside Solutions are able to cover all aspects of the unique ports industry. From terminal operating procedures and cargo handling (vessel and landside) through to industrial relations, HR, safety, security, and IT and TOS project management, implementing systems and strategies to enhance operational performance is at the forefront of the Portside Solutions service.

Microster is a highly specialised workforce management software solution with a long history within the ports and shipping industry. Microster includes rostering/scheduling, award interpretation, fatigue risk scoring and dynamic leave management. The solution offers enormous benefit to organisations that have complex workplace agreements that need to be tracked and refined on an on‐going basis and it has been implemented into some of the largest and most complex workforces across Australia and New Zealand.

With the addition of Microster to their portfolio, Portside Solutions will focus their efforts on marketing to port management and assisting them to better manage rostering, meet work rules and productivity requirements and minimise their costs.

According to Ray Lee “whilst terms and conditions may vary, the labour environment and culture is quite similar across ports in different countries. Stevedores ultimately appreciate being able to use technology to plan their working hours and leave more efficiently”.

The Microster solution uses technology to speed up roster allocation giving employees a variety of options to receive shift information and provide their own input into the planning process. Through Microster ‘Self Service’, employees select and confirm shifts using IVR (Interactive Voice Response), SMS, online portals and email. The solution can also be configured for a wide variety of employment agreements, different work rules and other local conditions.

ComOps CEO Daniel Sheahan said of the recent partnership “We are excited to be partnering with Portside Solutions. They have tremendous industry experience and a proven track record within the ports. Their sound business insight and industry knowledge provides for a very strong strategic partnership as we introduce Microster to the global stevedoring market.”

Stevedoring companies already benefiting from the Microster solution include DP World and QUBE, along with other leading Australian organisations such as BHP Billiton Iron Ore, NSW RailCorp and the Department of Corrections in both Queensland and South Australia.

About ComOps Limted

With a 40 year history of delivering competitive edge through technology, ComOps’ Workforce Management Solutions are built on a simple premise: best fit, lowest price, least risk.

The company specialises in Workforce Management Solutions & Services, covering; Rostering &  Scheduling, Award Interpretation, Labour Cost Management, Fatigue Risk Management, Leave Management, Time & Attendance, Employee Self-Service Portals, Workforce Analytics, Risk Management & Safety Compliance, and Learning & Development. By focusing on the three crucial areas of people, productivity and profit, our end-to-end solutions have restored millions to the bottom lines of our clients, made entire workforces more productive and also bullet-proofed businesses against future risk.

ComOps solutions are used by some of the world’s most recognised global brands; Toshiba, the Hyatt Group, Sara Lee, Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, Melbourne & Olympic Parks Trust, RailCorp, QUBE Logistics, BHP Billiton Iron Ore, DP World, Queensland Department of Public Works, City of Melbourne, Tasmanian Fire Services and Virgin Blue to name just a few.

ComOps is a Microsoft Gold Partner, is ISO 9001:2008 Quality Accredited and Government Endorsed.