Well, we sure have started 2019 hitting the ground running, so my apologies for the belated New Year good wishes, better late than never right?
So, happy new year from the whole DSNM team to all our clients, past and present, as well as our friends and colleagues in the industry, we wish you safe and happy sailing for the forthcoming year.
We finished 2018 on a high and I couldn’t be prouder to say what a momentous year it was for our team at DSNM. We made the transition from being purely a navigation product supplier to adding another string to our bow and ticking the box of becoming a technology company, providing our own digital solutions for chart management software with Compass, Cruising Guides with e-Pilot and our unique ARCS updating process with digistick.
Three solutions, all proudly developed and designed in house and offered exclusively through DSNM.
Following the successful launch of all digital solutions in 2018 and in particular our compass software at the Superyacht Forum and METS in Amsterdam, we have been overwhelmed with the positive response and feedback from clients, industry experts and colleagues in the Superyacht world.
Our fleet managers are a team of perfectionists who have tried and tested the software for months before we felt ready to launch to our customers, but we also had access to Captains and First Officer’s feedback to evolve the product, which has certainly been invaluable. We wanted our clients to be part of what we were building, as ultimately, they are the end users.
The idea of building our own software has been in the mix for over 8 years, but we knew we had to wait to take the leap into “tech company status” until we really had a product to be proud of and fulfilled all the needs of our clients. The way the industry is progressing into the digital era is exciting and we are encouraged by the many key figures pushing the boundaries of design, support and service whom all seem to have a firm eye set on keeping the Superyacht business moving forward.
Designing and creating the new digital platforms has, without doubt, been the biggest learning curve in the history of our company, one that I think I can safely speak for all involved has not been without its challenges, with some sleepless nights and serious head scratching moments, but this has made the launch of the final product even sweeter.
With a goal of creating a piece of software that saves crew precious time, assists in safe navigating and planning and can be used by Superyachts from 24m upwards, we are extremely proud of the finished product offering what we feel is a unique product, to the superyacht industry.
With the winter season over half way complete, we are now looking towards yard periods and preparing for the Mediterranean season in the upcoming months. We have members of our fleet team out and about each week in the shipyards, assisting in auditing and on-board training. Alongside this, we have seen a huge uptake in our training courses which are run in partnership with Warsash Maritime College, this has been hugely encouraging for us confirming that our idea of offering support, refresher and top up training is shared positively by many including already qualified crew.
Our goals for 2018 consisted mainly of developing our software and digital solutions alongside building our relationships with key industry experts in areas which will compliment the services we offer, ultimately giving our clients the opportunity to continue to navigate safely at sea with the most convenience as possible.
We aim in 2019 to further those opportunities providing crew the ultimate support from the fleet managers and digital support team, surpassing any other management service in the market.
With the Superyacht event schedule gaining more dates each year with forums and shows as well as our client base growing organically worldwide, we are looking forward to seeing lots of familiar (and new) faces over the next 12 months out and about. In the meantime, thanks for taking 5 minutes to stop by at our blog and keep your eyes peeled for more posts coming soon.
Safe sailing
Alicia
