02 March 2015
PDMS' features in the March issue of Money Media Magazine...
It’s been just five months since PDMS acquired certain parts and assets of Scotland based Maxima Information Group Ltd, a move that saw the Island’s largest software development company, PDMS, further expand their already strong presence in the maritime sector through their ‘PDMS Maritime’ brand. Through the acquisition, PDMS Maritime has added the very well established ‘Compass’ range of ferry reservation and ticketing solutions to their suite of software solutions - used by ferry operators in Scotland, England and internationally.
Money Media recently caught up with Bruce McGregor, Director of PDMS who spearheads the company’s maritime direction in the Isle of Man.
Bruce, we first heard about PDMS Maritime (www.pdmsmaritime.com) in our 2012 feature ‘full steam ahead in the maritime sector’ – what’s progressed since then?
“When we first launched PDMS Maritime, the aim was to provide a dedicated maritime team to focus on working with a number of our clients in both the local and international ship registry sector. Since then we’ve been able to further expand the scope of our maritime software solutions and services through our expansion of PDMS into Scotland, the launch of our Glasgow office and the recent acquisition. Through this we have gained a significant number of long term maritime clients operating in the ferry industry – the largest client of which is Caledonian MacBrayne. However not only did we gain some fantastic maritime software solutions but importantly we brought on board a strong team of people who have been actively working in the industry for many years. So, the best of both worlds for PDMS Maritime.
Sounds like a very interesting time for PDMS Maritime! What’s been your most recent achievement?
Our team in Scotland have been busy internationally, showcasing our ferry reservation and ticketing software (Compass) to prospective clients in the Caribbean, Seychelles, North America and Canada! Last month we also launched our new ferry ticketing and reservations website, www.ferrysoftware.co.uk, allowing us to promote ourselves to an international audience.
It’s fair to say that you’ve not been standing still! Do you still work closely with any local clients?
Indeed – the Isle of Man has such a strong maritime base. We continue to work very closely with many local clients, for example the Isle of Man Ship Registry and the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. Our work with the Isle of Man Ship Registry was recently shortlisted in the Isle of Man Newspapers Awards for Excellence, a testament of our approach to developing quality IT solutions and long term partnerships with local organisations. However, we also very proud to be able to say that our software is in use by high profile clients around the world. For instance our international ship registry solution, ‘MARIS’ is used by the Bahamas Maritime Authority and the Maritime Authority of the Cayman Islands. Later in the spring we will also be announcing some additional interesting projects - servicing organisations based as far out as the Seychelles!
PDMS Maritime has also been involved in the Isle of Man Maritime Group (www.iom-maritime.com), could you tell us a little bit about that?
The Isle of Man Maritime Group was formed last year to consolidate the efforts of local businesses with interests in the maritime sector and to promote the Isle of Man as a centre of excellence for the wide range of services it provides internationally to the maritime industry. The group now has seventeen members and through my role as Chairman, PDMS Maritime are playing an active role in helping to organise events to promote the Isle of Man.
The Group’s first event, a networking and social event, was held across two days on the historic Kathleen and May tall ship at the UK’s International Festival for Business 2014 – and it was hailed as one of the highlights of the Maritime, Logistics and Energy Week by the festival organisers. The Group now plans to head to London this September for the 2015 London International Shipping Week, where we will be hosting an evening reception at the illustrious Trinity House.
As part of the continued development of the Group’s activities we’ve also recently undertaken a campaign to encourage more local maritime companies to join and benefit from a collaborative approach to promoting both the Island and our individual businesses. The IOM Maritime Group are delighted to have most recently welcomed on board InterManager, Simcocks, Moore Stephens and Fine Focus.
What can we expect from PDMS Maritime over the next year?
A lot more of the same! We are seeking to build on our strong strategic growth and market positioning to further raise awareness of PDMS Maritime as technology partner for organisations in the Maritime sector. For example, in April we’re heading to Rotterdam to exhibit at the 2015 Shippax Ferry Shipping Conference – it’s one of the largest global conferences in the ferry industry. Its perfect timing to further explore developments into the international ferry market as our ‘Compass’ team has recently returned from the 39th Interferry Conference in Vancouver, Canada.
If you would like to find out more about PDMS Maritime or the Isle of Man Maritime Group, please contact Bruce McGregor via [email protected], visit www.pdmsmaritime.com or www.iom-maritime.com.